Finding Home
by quezovercoatl
Summary: Run out of town after testifying at a trial, Rodney McKay wants peace and quiet. He won't find it with John Sheppard and son Jinto as his neighbours. And is someone really trying to kill him or is it all just a coincidence? AU Harlequin Slash McShep
1. Prologue

Title: Finding Home  
Feedback: Is printed and framed (well not really, but I like getting feedback)  
Rating: R (this chapter PG-13 I think)  
Category: Slash  
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard  
Warnings: none  
Spoilers: none  
Disclaimer: this story is based on 'Call my name softly' by Ginger Chambers. The characters are from SGA and SG-1.  
Unfortunately I don't own them  
a/n: many many thanks to shootingsilverstarlight for Beta'ing this story

Finding Home.

Prologue.

"Mister Foreman, have the jury reached a verdict?"

The words echoed through the silent courtroom. All eyes were on the foreman of the jury, the only one of the twelve that was standing. Rodney McKay had his hands clasped close to his chest to try and stop them from shaking and also to stop his pounding heart from leaping from his chest. The tension in the courtroom was palpable and created knots in his stomach as he too waited for the verdict.

"Yes, your honor", the foreman answered.

"Will you be so kind and hand it to the bailiff?

The bailiff took the sealed envelop and gave it to the judge, who opened it. He read the verdict and returned the paper to the bailiff whose job it was to read the verdict out loud.

The verdict of the jury was based on a unanimous decision and was: Guilty.

Before the verdict was read the courtroom had been deathly silent: now the noise was deafening. Angry protests mingled with heart wrenching cries of the family members  
of the two suspects. Reporters rushed down the isle so they could be the first to announce the news. Rodney felt like he was paralyzed. It seemed like his body didn't belong to him anymore. He could no longer control it.

With a loud bang from his hammer, the judge requested silence. The two suspects, both men in their fifties, were visibly shaken. The lawyers were busy talking to their clients, but all their talking could not change the verdict.

The judge set a date for the sentencing of the two men before leaving his seat and the noise in the courtroom increased again. The people couldn't believe what had just happened.

Rodney heard all the shouting voices and felt the people looking at him. He wished he could hide under his chair, but his pride wouldn't let him do that. He had done nothing wrong. In fact, he had followed his conscience and done the right thing. He had nothing to be ashamed of.

The two men sitting next to him got up and so did Rodney.

"Well, that's it.", Agent Dean said, a hint of satisfaction colouring his voice. This had been a big case for them, and he was glad they had gotten the outcome they wanted.

"Yes," the other agent, Bates his name was, replied. "That went as well as could be expected."

The three of them had been the most important witnesses: the two FBI agents who investigated the case and he, the one who had broken the silence. Agent Dean shook Rodney's hand and smiled warmly.

"Doctor McKay, you'll understand that our government is very grateful to you, and so am I. It couldn't have been easy for you."

"No…', Rodney said.

Bates didn't even bother to try and say something nice to him. He just shook his hand and nodded his thanks.

The skin on the back of Rodney's neck prickled, and he turned to see several people looking at them. Glaring at them, actually. 'If looks could kill', he thought. When the District Attorney walked up to them with a big triumphant smile on her face, it was more than he could take. He muttered an excused and walked down the center isle with the intention of disappearing out of the courthouse. The group of people blocking the door left him with two options: Push past them to get to the door or wait. He gulped, undecided. He knew all the faces. He didn't want to just push past them rudely, but the looks on their faces made him nervous. They had always greeted him and had been kind to him. Now they looked at him with hate in their eyes.

Close to the door, a woman grabbed his arm. Katie Brown's face was contorted in anger.

"Don't think we will ever forget this! Two decent men… And now look what you did to them!" she hissed.

Rodney pulled himself free. "They did this to themselves, Katie."

"Nobody believes that. Nobody believes you!

"The jury believed me."

"The jury was wrong." Katie took a deep breath. "Do you think you can just go back to Oberoth and pretend like none of this happened? Do you know what you should do? You should go home, pack your things and go. Leave this town and never come back!"

"Should I consider this a threat?" Rodney asked angrily.

"It's not a threat. It's a suggestion. For your own safety, of course. We know how to deal with traitors."

"They're the traitors, not me!"

"That's what you say. If I were you, I'd follow my advice, or else bad things could happen."

"I'm not leaving!"

"We'll see about that! "

Rodney pushed Katie out of the way and turned around. He wanted to run down the hall, but people were blocking his way. He could feel his throat closing up, but he couldn't cry. Not here. Not in front of all these people who hated him so.

"Vicious liar," someone hissed from the crowd.

"Why didn't you mind your own business!" shouted someone else.

Head down, Rodney pushed through the crowd, trying his best to ignore the taunts and shouts. He'd only just made it out of the courtroom when he got swarmed by reporters and photographers asking him questions and taking what seemed like hundreds of pictures.

He was just about to lose it and start shouting at them when the two FBI agents he had helped came to his aid. Agent Dean started talking to the camera's, making an official statement and while the focus was on him, Bates managed to clear a path for Rodney. He slipped away and used the side exit to the court building to get to the car park. He ran to his car which he had parked it in a remote location, hoping to get away unseen.

That hope was crushed when he saw his car. All four tires were slashed, the antenna broken and his windshield wipers bent, making them look like the broken wings of a bird.

He looked around, but saw no one. Whoever did this had obviously left a long time ago. There was a note stuck under one of the broken windshield wipers. It read:

'Leave Oberoth! If you stay, we will get you!'

Rodney grabbed the piece of paper and ripped it to pieces. He'd stay! He wouldn't be intimidated. Not by anyone!

His resolve crumbled when he saw a group of people on the sidewalk across the road. All of them were residents of Oberoth and people he had once called 'friend'. Now though, the hate in their eyes chilled him to the bone. Fear swept over him and he was tempted to hide in the bushes to his left, but it was too late. They had already seen him.

Acting on impulse he jumped in his car and locked the door. He couldn't go anywhere. Not with four flat tires, but at least the car offered some sense of security. They passed his car in a deadly silence but Rodney could practically _feel_ their glare through the car window.

Rodney remained motionless as he waited for them to go. When they had finally rounded the corner, he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He was safe, at least for now.

That thought shattered when he heard a car suddenly start and rev behind him. He immediately dove for cover.

tbc


	2. Chapter 1

AN: once again thanks to shootingsilverstarlight for the Beta.

For warnings and disclaimers, see chapter 1.

Chapter 1.

Rodney jumped up from his seat and started looking for a way out. He had to leave before they returned. If they found him now, they would…

It took a few seconds for him to realise where he was. He was on the back veranda of his rented house, in California. Far, far away from Oberoth, Montana He didn't have to run anymore. The people here weren't out to get him. The people here didn't even _know_ him. He was far away from that town and its people who had hurt him so deeply. He settled back down in his chair again and stared at his laptop. He felt the tears welling up in his eyes.

Oberoth had won. Its citizens had declared him _persona non grata_ and had let him know it any way they could.

It hadn't been easy to give up his house. He had fallen in love with it as soon as he saw it and truly felt at home and comfortable there. But it wasn't just the house. In the few years he'd lived in Oberoth, he'd grown to love the town. For the first time in a long time he felt like he had found a home. And now it was all taken away from him.

Leaning back in the chair, Rodney wallowed in self-pity. After everything that happened, he felt he was allowed this small comfort.

A sudden and close-by sound caught his attention. He jumped out of his seat again, searching wildly for any sign of danger, but not seeing anything. He started relaxing a bit and, just when he thought he had imagined it, he heard the sound again. Glancing over his shoulder, he found the door behind him into the house open, just like he had left it. It would take him only three seconds to get inside. He could lock the doors and be safe in a matter of moments.

He made to scoop up his computer and head indoors, but stopped himself. How long would it take him to get over this fear? A week? A month? A year? The people of Oberoth had run him out of their town; he'd be damned if they would make him live in fear for the rest of his life. He was Rodney McKay. He found the strength to testify against two of the most popular men in their town: he could do it. He had to deal with his fear and he had to do it now.

He pushed the chair back, wiped the tears from his eyes and walked up to the balustrade of the veranda. He felt the heat from the Californian sun beat down on him and at the same time felt a cool sea breeze on his face. The view of the beach was spectacular, but Rodney had no eyes for it. His gaze wandered across the patio and the swimming pool on the ground floor not seeing anything suspicious. He let his eyes wander over the neglected land on either side of his property and couldn't find anything there either. Suddenly, his eyes caught movement to his left. It was a child. If he had to guess, he would say the kid was 5 or 6. He was standing on the other side of the low fence and was staring up. To his surprise the boy picked up a rock and tossed it in the pool.

Rodney grabbed the balustrade with both hands. The main reason he'd rented this beach house was because it was so remote. It was what he needed: a place far away from everybody. So where the hell did that kid come from?

"Stop throwing rocks!" he shouted. "Get away from here!"

The boy ignored him and threw another rock in the pool, laughing while he was doing it.

Rodney looked at the boy and remembered how things started after the trial. There had been his car of course. But he had convinced himself that it had been the initial shock after hearing the verdict; things would get better once they had some time to get used to it. They would see he'd done the right thing and everything would be back to normal. Only it hadn't happened that way. It had started with everybody just ignoring him. Then came the name calling behind his back. The kids in the town, especially the bored teenagers, discovered quickly that it was Ok to vandalize the McKay property. As long as they weren't caught red handed they were never punished for it. They could ruin the garden, put graffiti on the walls, throw rocks...

Rodney took a deep breath. He had left Oberoth and everybody who lived there far behind him and now things were starting again.

He looked at the laughing child again. He had just thrown another rock in the pool. Rodney tried to get his emotions under control. He knew that for this child, the rock throwing was probably just a fun game. But, after everything he'd been through, it was hard for him to stay rational about it.

"Do you live around here?' he asked as calmly as he could. "What is your name?"

No answer.

"Can you tell me why you are doing this? You must have a reason for it."

Everybody always had a reason for the things they did. The inhabitants of Oberoth had their reasons to make his life a living hell. They had turned from warm, kind, caring people into vicious, vindictive ones. The two men who he had testified against had been born and raised in Oberoth. Both of them were deemed 'fine, upstanding citizens' and had contributed to the community in so many ways. They'd been on committees and councils and boards and were well known by everybody. Their parents and grandparents all came from the area, while he was new to Oberoth.

He had only lived there two years. Nobody had sided with him. Not even the people he had considered to be his friends. Not one single person had stood up for him. He didn't know if it was because they thought he'd done wrong or that they were afraid to be rejected by the rest of the community. That the two,Sumner and Everett, had violated their position to sell technological secrets didn't matter to the people of Oberoth. What mattered were jobs. Or, in actuality , the loss of jobs. Pegasus Systems had been the largest employer of Oberoth. The economy of the town depended on the success of the company. And the people of Oberoth blamed him that the factory had to close.

Remembering all this made Rodney angry again. Venting all his pent up frustrations on the boy, he shouted "He you! If you do that one more time, you'll pay for this. Just one more rock and I'll tell you parents!"

Rodney saw that his outburst had an effect on the boy. He shuffled backwards, eyeing Rodney warily. Neither of them saw the danger. When Rodney realised what was going to happen, it was already too late. The child tripped over a large tree root and fell backwards down the rocky hill.

Rodney ran down the stairs, across the patio and jumped over the low fence. On the other side was the rocky hill which led down to a golden sandy beach. He carefully made his way down the hill, his heart in his throat.

The boy lay motionless in the sand.

The kid had made him angry by throwing the rocks, but that didn't mean he wanted him to die. He sank on his knees next to the boy, desperately trying to remember what he had learned when he started with Pegasus Systems. All staff had to undergo a mandatory First Aid Course when they started, and though he'd tried to get out of it, he had been forced to attend. Now he cursed himself for not taking detailed notes on what to do in this kind of emergency and had to take several deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Ok McKay, think! First things first: Check for a pulse and breathing," he admonished himself. He put a hand on the boy's neck and was relieved to find a strong pulse beating underneath his fingers. The kid was also breathing, much to Rodney's relief. 'At least he's alive,' he thought 'but now what?' Rodney was pretty sure you weren't supposed to move someone when they were unconscious.

That left him with two options: Stay with the boy until he woke up or leave him and get help. For once, he wished he hadn't picked a place so remote that cell phones didn't work. The nearest phone was in his house up the hill. He looked at the boy again. Stay or go?...

The decision was made for him when the boy moved. Big brown eyes looked up at him.

"Hey kid, does it hurt anywhere?"

"My knees hurt", he said, moaning a little.

"Can you sit up or does that hurt too much?"

"I can do that."

Rodney waited for the boy to sit up and then reached out and steadied him.

"Now, sit still so I can check to see if you're ok. If something hurts, tell me."

Rodney scanned for any obvious injuries but besides the kid's scraped knees, he couldn't find anything wrong.

Smiling he said: "You're still in one piece."

With his little hands the boy touched his bloody knees. "I want my daddy! And my mommy!"

"Of course you do."

Rodney looked down the beach, hoping he would see the kid's parents, but except for the two of them, the beach was completely empty. He wondered what kind of parent would let a small child like this run around unsupervised.

"Do you live nearby?"

The child nodded, bravely biting his lip to stop it quivering.

Walking him home would be an option. The boy had said he lived nearby. But a kid that age probably didn't have any real sense of distance, so it could be a long way off and once he'd delivered the boy home, he'd have to walk all the way back. And with the way his luck had gone recently, the parents wouldn't be home and he'd have to walk back with the kid. The more he thought about it, the less appealing the idea was. It was probably better to take him back to his house where the child could phone his parents and then they could just come over and fetch their son.

The only problem was getting the kid to his house. They'd have to walk up the hill again: the same one the boy had just tumbled down. It probably wasn't a good idea to have him climb back up. He still looked a bit shaken and his knees were all scraped. Rodney didn't want him to fall again, which left only one option. He was going to have to carry him.

"Hi. I'm Rodney," he said. "What's your name?"

The boy answered shyly, "Jinto."

"Well Jinto, we have to go back to my house. And to get there we have to climb the hill. I'll turn around, you put your arms around my neck, ok? I'll give you a piggy-back up."

"I don't need to be carried. I'm not a baby anymore!" Jinto said angrily.

"I know," Rodney tried to placate him. "But with your knees all scraped up like that, there's no way you can climb up the hill."

Rodney's words reminded him of his bloodied knees and Jinto started crying.

"I want my daddy!" he sobbed.

"I'll make sure he'll get here", Rodney promised. "But I have to call him first and the phone is in the house, which is up there."

Rodney put his hands under Jinto's knees and stood. The boy had wrapped his arms round Rodney's throat so tightly; a strangler couldn't have done it better. After a difficult climb up the hill, and a mad scramble over the fence, Rodney finally found himself walking across the patio. He put the boy down on the sofa in the living room and sat down heavily on the floor.

"What is your phone number?" he asked, still panting from the unusual exertion.

The boy shook his head.

"You don't know? How about your address? Do you know that?"

Again he shook his head.

Rodney frowned. "How about your father's name? You do know that, right?"

The boy nodded, visibly relieved to finally be able to answer a question. "John."

"And what is your father's last name?" That Jinto didn't know the most essential things about himself and his family wasn't his fault. Rodney blamed the parents, too lazy or disinterested to take the time.

"Sheppard." Jinto looked at his knees and started sobbing again. Rodney looked at the scrapes. They weren't too bad, but to a small child like Jinto, he was sure they were horrendous and painful. He disinfected them with peroxygel, because that didn't sting and then put a big band aid on the knees.

Jinto endured the 'operation' bravely. He only whimpered once or twice, and looked sad when Rodney didn't have any Winnie The Pooh band aids to put on his cuts. Still, when Rodney praised his bravery, Jinto broke out into a sunny smile, suddenly proud of his 'war wounds'. Rodney left him alone for a moment to look for the number in the phonebook. There wasn't a single Sheppard listed.

"You're sure you're fathers name is John Sheppard, right Jinto? "

He nodded.

He'd just searched all the names starting with 'S' when he noticed that Jinto was staring at him. He looked back and asked if he wanted any ice cream. He didn't know if the boy should be eating anything so soon after the fall, but he couldn't think of anything else.

The look in Jinto's face was crystal clear. He'd really love to some ice cream.

Rodney disappeared into the kitchen and came back with two bowls of chocolate ice cream. He gave one to Jinto, who thanked him shyly. They ate their ice cream in near silence, Jinto alternating his looks from his knee, to Rodney, to Rodney's home. When they'd both finished their bowls and Rodney was about to ask him if he wanted some more, he heard the voice of a man. He walked up to the door and listened carefully. Now he heard it clearer: the man was calling for Jinto.

Jinto, apparently, had heard it too.

"Daddy!" He jumped from the sofa, but when he stretched his legs, his knees hurt so bad that he nearly fell down. He whimpered in pain, and Rodney quickly strode across the room to him.

"You're staying here," he said. He put Jinto back on the sofa again. "I'll go and get your father."

Rodney walked outside. He could clearly hear the man calling now. He leaned over the balustrade and shouted, "Hello, over here!"

"Where are you? I can't see you," the voice replied.

"Close to the rocks is a path. Just follow it to the top," he yelled.

After a few minutes, a man appeared behind the fence. He was tall and had a slender build. His gravity defying hair was a few shades darker than that of Jinto. At first he didn't see Rodney. He walked past the swimming pool and across the patio before looking up and seeing him. Rodney studied the man as he came towards him. He looked so at home in this place, even though he'd probably never been here before. His tight black T-shirt really accentuated his arms. And his jeans...

'Jeez Rodney, stop thinking like that. You came here to find peace and quiet. To be away from people, not to start a new relationship.' Not that he could with this guy anyway, since he was straight. Nothing good could come from him fantasising otherwise.

His train of thought was interrupted when the man spoke.

"Hi," he said, a smile forming on his lips. "Have you seen a small boy who was playing on the beach?"

Rodney was amazed at how indifferent the man sounded. Didn't he care what happened to his son?

"Yes, I've seen him," he replied.

The man's smile became more radiant. "Great. Where?"

"A while ago, he was throwing rocks in my swimming pool."

"That sounds like him," the other man, obviously John Sheppard, said calmly.

Rodney blinked his eyes. "I asked him to stop it."

"And did he stop?"

"No."

"I'm not surprised."

Rodney was so shocked. he couldn't say another word. If anybody had told his father he had done such a thing, he wouldn't have taken the news so calmly. Or shown this amount of tolerance. It almost seemed as if the man approved of his son throwing rocks. "You're taking this rather easy," he said angrily.

"He's only five."

"That is not an excuse. The boy needs to be raised, not let run riot."

"He is being raised. But he's just a little boy and they don't always behave like they should," John said, just the tiniest hint of anger colouring his voice.

Rodney didn't feel like discussing it any further. The man would just have to come and get his son and go back home to his wife. But he couldn't stop himself from saying: "Maybe it's time he learns."

John smiled again. "He will."

"With falling down and getting back in the saddle again? He got go the falling down part right today. And I'm advising you to pay more attention to him, because next time he might not get away so easy."

The man froze. "What did you just say?"

"I said, he took a big fall. He was standing over there behind the fence, tripped over a tree root and fell down the hill."

Rodney had barely finished what he was saying when the other man ran up the stairs.

"Where is he?" he asked agitated.

"He's in there", Rodney said, pointing to the open door. The man looked to where he pointed and ran inside. Rodney followed. "His knees were scraped, but I disinfected them. I wanted to call you, but you're not listed in the phone book."

The man didn't show any signs that he had heard him. He stood in front of his son and looked down on him. Jinto dropped his head. Rodney frowned. That wasn't the response Rodney had expected from either of them. Standing there, looking at his son and seeing he wasn't too badly damaged, the man started to relax again.

"Didn't we agree you were going to take a nap? How did you get out the house? Did you climb out the window?" he asked, his voice stern but not unkind.

Jinto nodded and sniffled.

"Your mother told you that you need to take a little nap every afternoon."

"I hate naps."

Jinto's dad sighed deeply and sat down in front of his son. "When I was five, I didn't want to sleep in the afternoon either. But your mother wants you to take afternoon naps." He was silent as if he was searching for the right words. "When we get back, we could maybe ask her if you could skip an afternoon once in a while because you're such a big boy. What do you think?"

"Yes! Let's do that," Jinto answered, a big grin plastered on his face.

John moved closer to his son and said "Look at me."

Jinto looked at Rodney for a while before doing as he was told. John looked into Jinto's eyes for some time. Then he checked his pulse and looked at the scraped knees.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"Just a little," Jinto squeaked.

"This man has taken good care of you," Sheppard said, looking over his shoulder.

"His name is Rodney," Jinto blurted out. "He gave me ice cream."

Rodney was surprised the boy still remembered his name. After all, he'd been shaken up by the fall down the hill.

"Shouldn't he be seen to by a doctor?' he suggested. "He was unconscious when I found him."

"Just a little shaken, right? It was quit a fall though, wasn't it kiddo?"

Jinto nodded.

"If he were my child..." he started, but John interrupted him, sharply by stating that he wasn't.

Rodney crossed his arms and raised his chin defiantly at being so rudely interrupted. He was annoyed at Sheppard's attitude towards him. His child had thrown rocks in Rodney swimming pool and he still carried the kid up the hill back to the house. It wasn't like he would have left the kid lying there in the sand.

Sheppard sensed he had crossed a line and dropped his aggressive posture.

"When I was in the Air Force, I received medical training, so I know what I'm doing. I don't think he's been seriously injured, but I'll keep an eye on him. Can you live with that?"

"I can," Rodney replied. He could live with that perfectly well, and could live with the two Sheppard's leaving soon even better.

Sheppard took a deep breath. "I really appreciate what you did for my son. I'm sorry if he caused you any trouble. Jinto, apologize to the gentlemen for throwing rocks in his swimming pool."

"His name is Rodney," Jinto said again. He turned to Rodney and said in a small voice "I'm really sorry."

"I apologize for the scare Jinto caused you. His falling wasn't intentional of course, but an accident."

"An accident that could have been avoided," Rodney replied.

"You mean, you should have had that tree root removed?"

Rodney stared at him, his blue eyes blazing. "This isn't my house. I only rent it."

"I'm renting a house here too. We've only been here a month, that's why you couldn't find me in the phone book. We're neighbours. The house where Jinto and I live is right around the corner. It's called Seal Cove. I'm John Sheppard, though you probably already know that from looking for me in the phone book," Sheppard introduced himself officially and holding out his hand.

Rodney shook it briefly while making a mental note to call the agency that had rented him this villa and ask them where they got their definition of remote, since apparently their definition included having neighbours right around the corner.

"Are you ready to go?" Sheppard asked to his son. Jinto nodded and Sheppard picked him up and put him on his shoulders. "I hope you don't mind if we take the same route back? If we have to use the road it will take at least three times longer."

"Of course not," Rodney replied. He didn't mind anything if it would get them to leave.

Rodney followed the two. Suddenly, Sheppard turned around.

"Once again, thanks for everything."

Rodney shrugged. "I would have done it for anybody.

Sheppard looked at him intensely, studying his face. Hazel eyes met blue. Rodney could feel himself starting to blush and he looked away.

"Do you live here by yourself?" Sheppard asked. He saw Rodney's startled reaction to the question and he smiled reassuringly. "I'm only asking because I wanted you to know that I'm available should you need help with anything. I live a little further on down the beach. I think these are the only two houses in this area."

"I'll keep it in mind," Rodney mumbled, but he knew he would never call on him. If it were up to Rodney, this was their first and only meeting.

The last thing he wanted, or needed now, was more people in his life.


	3. Chapter 2

AN: once again thanks to shootingsilverstarlight for the Beta. :)  
Also thanks to the people who have left me reviews and put the story on story alert. You guys rule.

For warnings and disclaimers, see chapter 1.

Chapter 2.

John Sheppard leaned against the doorway of the small bungalow, staring out across the beach. A few seals were napping on the sand while a few others where playing, what appeared to be, some elaborate game of tag in the ocean. He watched them for a while and then found himself looking beyond them, staring at the horizon and the countries that lay beyond it. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan… Countries that had played important parts in his life. Looking back, he realised just how much his life had changed.

For as long as he could remember, John wanted to be a pilot. So to him, it had made perfect sense to join the Air Force, even if he did have some problems with following the rules. (Especially the really stupid ones, which he just ignored.) Ironically, it was ignoring one of those 'stupid rules' that had ended his Air Force career. He grimaced as he remembered being caught in the act with a flight technician. He was usually very careful, but not that time.

After the dishonorable discharge for conduct unbecoming an officer, he didn't have a lot of time to think about what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He was contacted almost immediately by Jacob Selmak, a reporter that had been embedded with his unit for a while. He was retiring and had heard that John left the Air Force. He had convinced his tv-station to hire Sheppard as his replacement, reasoning that Sheppard knew how to handle himself in dangerous situations, had contacts everywhere and he wasn't bad on the eyes either. The camera would love him and so would the viewers.

And they had. As a foreign correspondent, John had reported on natural disasters, political uprisings and wars. His work had gained him the respect of his superiors and colleagues. He thought he could handle any situation life threw at him, and handle it well. As John watched his son, who had fallen asleep on the sofa in the living room, he realised he'd been wrong about that.

Jinto mumbled something in his sleep; his little mouth half open and brown eye lashes almost the same color as his tanned cheeks. The tv was still on. John grinned. Jinto must have been really tired to have fallen asleep while watching the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It was hard to believe Jinto was five already. He'd grown from a scrawny baby into the frank but also naughty little boy he was now. Sheppard cursed himself for missing so much of the boys life: for staying seeking the danger in foreign countries when he should have been there for his son.

In the past, he'd always been able to justify not being there full time for Jinto to himself. He loved his job, and was good at it. He'd worked hard to get where he was. He had friends and colleagues who respected him and for a long time he thought that that was enough. The times he did think of his son, he convinced himself that Jinto was better off in the United States with his mother and… his mothers new husband. He didn't know exactly when he stopped believing this, but he knew he had. Sometime in the past few years, he had started thinking about what was really important in life.

Again Jinto mumbled something incomprehensible in sleep, and John smiled reflexively. He closed the outer door to keep out the cool evening breeze so his son wouldn't get chilled. There had been a time in his life that Jinto barely counted.

Now he would do anything for his son.

ooooo

Rodney was sitting in the shade of the large tree near the swimming pool, typing happily away on his laptop. He should probably know what kind of tree it was, but biology and botany had never really been his thing. The only thing that mattered about the tree was that it provided him with protection from the harmful rays of the sun. He knew that his homemade SPF 100 sunscreen did a far better job then the tree ever could, but every little bit helped. And from his seat under the tree, he also had a great view of the ocean.

He'd only been here a few days but he was starting to feel more relaxed then he had been in a long time. Here, nobody threw rotten eggs at the doors and windows. Here, there were no threatening letters. He had finally found peace and quiet. A few times, he thought he'd heard voices and laughter coming from the direction of Seal Cove, but he hadn't seen the Sheppard's again since their first meeting.

Rodney felt his body relax and eyelids growing heavy. He should probably get up before he fell asleep, but he didn't have the energy to move. Besides, he was sitting in the shade, wearing sunscreen. Everything would be fine. A little nap would probably do him good. He shut down his laptop, closed his eyes and drifted away.

A soft whisper reached his consciousness an indeterminate time later. "He's sleeping, Daddy."

"Just like Sleeping Beauty," a mans voice answered.

Very curiously, the child asked "Will you kiss him to wake him up, just like the Prince did in the story?"

With those words, Rodney opened his eyes suddenly, as if he had just been kissed awake. He looked at the fence, which was about 5 meters away and saw the two Sheppard's standing there.

John Sheppard smiled. Rodney straightened his clothes nervously and picked up his laptop.

"We didn't mean to scare you," Sheppard told him.

"Hi Rodney," Jinto said in his high, clear voice.

Rodney smiled sparingly, while hugging the laptop close to his body. He had never really liked unannounced visitors, even before Oberoth.

"Hi Jinto."

"We came to ask you if you wanted to have dinner with us," Jinto said, full of enthusiasm.

His father smiled. "He's getting straight to the point. I would have beaten around the bush a bit more," Sheppard grinned.

"Oh," was all Rodney managed to say. He hugged his laptop closer to his chest, nerves clearly showing.

"And we wanted to show you my knees too," Jinto continued, not picking up on Rodney's nervousness. He climbed over the low fence and ran to Rodney, his father following at a slower pace.

Rodney dutifully looked at Jinto's knees. "They look a lot better then they did before," he acknowledged sagely.

"They are almost all the way better," Jinto beamed.

John Sheppard watched this little exchange from a distance, a small smile gracing his lips. Rodney wasn't the type of man he would normally go for. He preferred men who were athletically build, muscular even and with a nice natural tan. Looking at Rodney's pale skin, he knew he would go a crispy red rather then getting a tan and he didn't have an athletic build either, but he did have a lot of other things going for him. Like his broad shoulders. There was also his chest, which was nicely defined and made John's hands itch to get at it. John had been staring at it while Rodney was sleeping under the tree; he'd looked so relaxed, so innocent. And then, John had seen Rodney's nipples poking through the fabric, just waiting to be touched. So close and yet so far away.

The moment Rodney had woken up however he had clutched his laptop to his chest, obscuring the nipples from his view. He wondered if Rodney consciously did this to hide them or if there was another reason. Jinto's innocent suggestion about waking Rodney with a kiss had made him switch his attention to Rodney's mouth. It was slightly crooked and that shouldn't be attractive, but it was. It looked like it was made for kissing and for other things too. And to round it all off, there were his amazingly blue eyes. They were framed in long, thick lashes and were bluer then the clearest sky. He could probably look into those eyes for hours and not be bored. Rodney seemed to startle as if he felt he was being stared at. He looked up, and their eyes met for a second. John smiled at him and Rodney turned away focusing his attention once again on Jinto.

"I had Winnie the Pooh band aids on them before, but Daddy says my knees better now and don't need band aids anymore," Jinto chattered happily, smiling.

"No you don't kiddo," John said while walking up to them. Looking at Rodney he said "You do have us at a disadvantage." At Rodney's confused look, he continued. "I mean, you know Jinto, and I introduced myself last time we met, but I didn't catch your name. I know your name is Rodney, but…"

"McKay", he said. "Rodney McKay. Doctor, actually and before you ask, no. I'm not a medical doctor. I'm a physicist."

"Nice to meet you Doctor," Sheppard said, extending his hand for what was their second official introduction. "Or may I call you Rodney?"

Rodney shook his hand again. "Nice to meet you again, I guess. And yes, you may."

"Excellent. Now that we've both officially introduced ourselves, I'd like to repeat the invitation. Come have dinner with us. It's nothing official; just a barbecue on the beach. Are you interested?"

Rodney barely let him finish speaking. "I'd rather not. Thank you very much for inviting me, but…"

"Please," Jinto squeaked. "Daddy said you probably didn't want to come, but I said you would. I'm very sorry for throwing rocks in your swimming pool. I'll get them out, pinky swear! And I promise I will never do it again."

Jinto looked at him with puppy dog eyes and a small pout on his lips. Rodney found it hard not to cave in. "It's not possible for me…"

"We've got hot dogs and hamburgers and french fries and ice cream," Jinto interrupted him and listing all of his favorite foods. "It will be fun, you just have to come."

Rodney thought about it. It would be fun to barbecue on the beach with with John and Jinto. But one thing could lead to another. What if they came over here all the time? Then, his peace and quiet would be gone. Going to the barbecue meant he would probably also get to meet Mrs. Sheppard and he didn't feel up to seeing them all happy together.

"No, it's better that I didn't," he started. "I really want to…" _be left alone_, was what he wanted to say, but sounded really harsh.

"Think about it.", John suggested. "If you feel like coming over, come over. If not, we'll see. In the mean time, we're going to be barbecuing some hamburgers and hot dogs, right Jinto?"

Jinto nodded, visibly disappointed. His father, who tried to stop him from begging and pleading for Rodney to come to their barbecue, picked him up and carried him over the fence. The last thing Rodney saw was Jinto's crestfallen face.

Rodney stayed motionless for a while, as surprised by their abrupt departure as he'd been by their sudden arrival. He sat back down again, opened his laptop and tried to get back to what he was working on. It was an exciting new theory: one that was sure to get him the Nobel Prize once he could get it published. But for some reason, he couldn't concentrate on his work. All he could think about was the sad look on Jinto's face.

He got up and started pacing across the patio. He tried to convince himself he'd done the right thing by turning down the invitation. He knew he had, but the temptation to go was strong. He hadn't realised how much he missed to be in contact with people. Just some regular contact, like a friendly chat.

He sighed. His peace and quiet had been disturbed. Even if it had been done in a less violent way than in Oberoth."

"There he is, Daddy! He's coming!"

Jinto's obvious excitement at seeing him made it hard for Rodney to maintain an indifferent attitude. The boy ran up to meet him and as soon as he reached him, he clamped his arms around Rodney's legs in a fierce hug. He was surprised at the strength the kid had.

Jinto looked up at him with radiant eyes.

"I knew you'd come," he shouted triumphantly. He let go of Rodney's legs and skipped alongside him.

John was standing near the barbecue. "You're just in time," he said. "I'm glad you could make it."

John smiled at him and suddenly, Rodney wished he had listened to his first impulse. Coming here was a mistake. He wasn't ready to for company. Jinto was bouncing around him like he was Tigger. He cleared his throat. "I'm just not…"

"Hungry?" John Sheppard asked, finishing the sentence. "Not even a little?"

"I'm hungry," Jinto yelled. "I'm starving!"

"Yeah, I know. That's all I've heard for the last hour."

Jinto grinned at Rodney and gave him a sheepish look. Every instinct Rodney had told him to go. Leave and go home right now. John Sheppard and his son would cause nothing but trouble.

"Everything is about done here. Jinto, why don't you ask Rodney what he wants to drink."

Jinto looked up at him. "Would you like a glass of apple juice?"

"We've got other things besides apple juice," John reminded his son.

"I know," Jinto replied. "But apple juice is the best."

John smiled compliantly. "There are a few things to choose from. There's white wine, beer or apple juice."

"Apple juice is fine. But it really wasn't my intention to stay. I was in the mood for a walk on the beach and since I was in the neighborhood anyway, I decided to check in on you guys."

"Now that you're here, you might as well have a bite to eat. You look like you could use it."

Rodney looked at him a little uncertain. John smiled. It was John's disarming smile that caused Rodney's heart to beat a little faster and hands to get clammy. He wiped them on his shirt.

"That will be three apple juices, Jinto. Be careful, especially on the stairs."

Jinto turned around and quickly scrambled up the hill. A little beyond that lay the Sheppard's bungalow.

John waited for his son to reach the top before saying "If you want to make your own hamburger, you'll find the ingredients over there." He pointed at a table that was stacked with all kinds of spices, mustard and ketchup.

Rodney shook his head. "I'm really not hungry."

"Then why did you come?"

"I don't know, maybe out of curiosity?" he shrugged. More then one voice told him he should leave. He totally agreed, but just couldn't get himself moving. He also wondered about the absent Mrs. Sheppard. He didn't see her on the beach and Jinto was sent up to the bungalow to get three glasses of juice, not four.

"What ever your reason is for coming, I'm glad you're here. Jinto misses his mother."

Well, that answered his question as to why he hadn't seen the elusive Mrs. Sheppard and part of him was glad he wouldn't meet her. Then it registered what Sheppard had said and he looked at him suspiciously. "I'm not his mother, you know."

John looked at him like he was an idiot. "Of course you're not. A person would have to be blind to think you're Jinto's mother. But he does like you a lot and when he's happy, he misses his mother a little less."

"Here I am again!" Jinto yelled. He was glowing with pride for having done such a good job at fetching the drinks. He put the cans of apple juice on the table and rubbed his hands together.

"My hands are cold," he said, totally unnecessarily.

John laughed. "It's because the cans are cold. You don't want me to heat them up, now do you?"

"Warm apple juice sounds good to me."

"I give up," John exclaimed. He gave Jinto a new assignment and included Rodney in it. "Why don't you and Rodney find a nice place to put down the picnic blanket while I finish up things here?"

Jinto picked up the blanket and pulled Rodney over to the location of his choice. They had just finished putting down the blanket when John came over with three plates, filled with hamburgers, french fries and salad. He gave both of them a plate.

Rodney was about to protest, when John said "I meant what I said. You look like you could use a hot meal. Eat what you can, and whatever is left over, we will feed to the seagulls."

Rodney sat down on the blanket. The smell rising from the plate made his mouth water and his stomach growl. He hadn't been eating well the last few days.

After making sure John hadn't used citrus in the salad dressing he ate the salad, the hamburgers and some of the french fries. He gave the rest to Jinto who was happy to get more of them.

When the boy was done, eating he jumped up and started exploring the beach.

"Remember to stay close!" his father yelled after him.

"Yes, Daddy," Jinto called distractedly over his shoulder. Quietening, he snuck up on a seagull that was sitting on the beach until he saw Jinto and flew away. Jinto ran after the bird, imitating the flapping of the wings, not caring that he didn't take flight like the bird.

John Sheppard laughed at his sons antics: a laughter that got Rodney all worked up. To have something to do, he stacked up the plates and put them away from them in the sand.

"That was very tasty, thank you."

John shrugged. "Have another hamburger. I've made extra."

"No, it was more then enough. I haven't eaten this much in ages."

John rolled on his side and leaned on one elbow.

"Why is that? Have you been ill?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you look a little pale… and you're rather tense."

"Maybe that's part of who I am."

He shook his head. "I don't believe that for an instant. It has to be something else, like a failed love affair or something. Trust me, I'm an expert in them."

Rodney tried not to react to the probing questions. He rose to his knees with the intention to say good bye. This conversation was getting too personal.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm such an expert in them?"

"The answer to that is so obvious, I'm not even going to respond to that."

He grinned. "You're snarky, I like that."

"I have to go. Thank you for dinner. I…" Rodney said as he made to leave.

John raised his hand to stop him. "You don't have to go so soon, do you? Please stay a little longer. I haven't talked to a grown up in weeks."

Even though he really wanted to go, Rodney remained sitting on the blanket. 'You're stupid for staying', he thought. 'Haven't you been through enough. You don't need this.' But he stayed anyway.

Rodney's reluctance to stay was like a challenge for John. He'd never before had to convince someone to stay with him. They were always happy to spend some time talking, or more.

"Jinto's mother and I are divorced. How about you?"

"I'm single."

"You've never been married?"

"No."

Very slowly John caressed Rodney's cheek with his fingers. Rodney pulled his head back.

"Don't," he mumbled uncomfortably.

Rodney couldn't believe what what happening. That one light touch had triggered a response in him that was stronger then anything he had ever felt. He felt a shiver go through him as John's hand touched his neck and slowly moved down, getting dangerously close to his nipples, which were hard and poking through the fabric of his shirt. Rodney squeaked and jumped up. He hesitated for a moment, not sure what to do with himself.

"I can't… I don't want to…", he started.

"Listen, I just…." Again, John tried to stop him.

More to himself then to John, he vehemently said "No!"

Without any of them hearing it, Jinto came running up to them. He was panting fom his run through the sand. He looked from his father's immobile face to Rodney's frightened eyes, his big smile fading.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt, Rodney?" he asked, worried.

Rodney couldn't answer. Jinto's innocent question was all encompassing. Had someone hurt him? Did he feel hurt?

Before the two of them could see his tears, he had turned around and bolted.

"Rodney, come back!" That was Jinto.

Rodney didn't pay any attention to his screams. The tears were running down his cheeks. All he wanted to do was to get back to the beach house. He would be safe there.

Motionless, Jinto watched him go. He didn't understand what had just happened.

John put a hand on his son's shoulder and could feel the boy shaking. All he wanted to do was to take the boy in his arms and tell him everything would be alright. That he never had to worry about anything ever again and that nothing would ever hurt him as long as his father was there. He didn't do it. Maybe he didn't have the right to tie Jinto to him. Maybe he wouldn't be able to keep his word.

"Why did he go away Daddy?" his son asked softly. "Did I do something wrong?"

John shook his head. "No, you did nothing wrong."

Jinto heard the strange sound in his fathers voice and knew that something had happened.

Something bad.

John petted his son's head. 'What a great father you are,' he mocked himself. 'You can't let things work themselves out. You always have to prove yourself. And you don't care who you hurt in the process.'

He closed his eyes for a moment. He regretted what had happened in the last few minutes. And the last few years. He silently swore he would better himself. He would be a good father and a dependable person.

The first thing he needed to change was his attitude towards people he was attracted to. He had always toyed with them. It had been a game; the thrill of the chase. And once he'd had his fun, he would be of again finding a new person to have fun with. He had always been very careful. The only person who had been able to pin him down, trap him, had been Elizabeth. He had been careless with her.

Jinto had been the result of his carelessness. He looked at his son, who was his spitting image.

'John,' he told himself. 'It's time you grew up. You've known this for a while now and you can't put it off any longer. So you'd better start now.'

ooooo

Rodney stayed inside all of the next day. He closed all the curtains, but had turned on all the lights so he wouldn't feel boxed in. He didn't want to go outside today. He was much happier inside anyway, he told himself. He had a headache from crying and his eyes were red and poofy.

He had no clue what to do with himself. For a moment, he had thought he could face life again. That he was ready for anything. He had even considered going back to Oberoth to show the people he could not be broken. The little incident on the beach however had cured him from those thoughts.

He was _crying_ for God's sake. Rodney McKay did not cry. He made other people do so. And here he was with the red eyes to prove it. The events in Oberoth had really gotten to him, he realised. They had changed him. The once fearsome McKay had been bullied into submission.

Cursing himself, he started massaging his neck, hoping his headache would go away. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been. Firstly, he should have never gone to the barbecue. Secondly, how could he have even thought he was ready to face life again? He couldn't even get his emotions under control. He was so embarrassed when he thought about his hasty retreat from the beach last night. He should have been able to handle that better. He was a genius for God's sake, but when it came to people, he had the emotional intelligence of a common garden snail.

Realising that his massaging was having zero effect on his headache, Rodney got up from the sofa and started walking to the bathroom to get some more Ibuprofen. He was halfway when he heard a knock on the door. Rodney froze instantly.

"Rodney, are you there?"

It was 'His' voice. Johns. Rodney didn't answer. He stayed where he was, frozen in place as his neighbour knocked again.

"Rodney, you are home, aren't you?" He waited a few seconds. "Listen, I'm very sorry about last night. I really didn't mean to…" He couldn't finish the sentence.

Rodney didn't respond. He stayed silent and waited for him to go away.

He heard the shuffling of feet over the wooden floor boards, as John paced a little before coming back to his previous position. "It's really stupid having to talk to a door. Jinto doesn't understand what happened. He thinks it's his fault you ran away. He cried himself to sleep last night and he has been miserable all morning. I tried to convince him it wasn't his fault, but I can't. Only you can do that. I know I rushed into things and I apologize. It won't happen again. I promise. If you could just…" He sighed deeply and punched the glass door hard. "I know you're there Rodney. All I'm asking you is to remember what I told you. Please think about it, will you? And don't let Jinto be the victim of my bad behaviour. It's not his fault."

He finally left.

Rodney took a deep breath before falling back down on the sofa again. So, Jinto was upset because of what had happened. He blamed himself, thought he had done wrong. Rodney had always done that when he was a child too. How often had he cried himself to sleep when he was little? Nights in a row. It was all his fault. How could he not feel that way? After all, his parents shouted it often enough for him to know that. He tried everything he could think of to make things right. But nothing he ever did was good enough. Once he'd grown up, he'd realised that the problem wasn't with him, but with his parents. It was a hard learned lesson, one he would never forget. He knew how easily children blamed themselves for the shortcomings of others, especially if it involved people they cared about.

He would have to talk to Jinto and set his mind at ease. He was going to have to wait another day though. Because if Jinto saw him like this, he would only be more upset.

ooooo

That same afternoon Rodney was standing on the veranda. He scanned the beach, looking for Jinto. He shouldn't have to wait another day. The cold shower he'd taken had reduced the poofiness of his eyes. He thought he looked presentable enough to face Jinto. That is, if he could find the boy. He really didn't want to go over to the Sheppard house, and was hoping to see the boy in the beach somewhere. Hearing strange sounds, he leaned as far as possible over the balustrade to try and find their point of origin. What he saw astounded him. Right under the surface of the crystal clear water of his swimming pool moved a small shape. It sliced through the water as fast and smooth as a seal. A head broke the surface of the water: it was Jinto.

For Rodney, there were two pretty unbelievable things. One: that a boy Jinto's age could swim so well. And two: that he had dived in his swimming pool. John had said that Jinto was upset. Rodney had spent hours worrying about it and thinking about his own childhood, which he rather forgot about. This child, however, didn't seem upset at all. Jinto was having the time of his life, in _Rodney's_ pool. The child reached the surface, took a deep breath and then went under again.

Rodney balled his hands into fists. John Sheppard had lied to him, but for what reason he wasn't sure. Possibly another mind game. He _knew_ he shouldn't have trusted Sheppard. Rodney ran down the stairs. The moment he crossed the patio, Jinto resurfaced. When he spotted Rodney he swam towards him.

"Can you tell me what you are doing in my swimming pool?" Rodney asked, feeling very agitated but trying to hide his annoyance. It wasn't Jinto's fault that his father was a lying bastard.

Jinto's generous smile was absent as he rested on the edge of the pool. He leaned with his elbows on the side of the swimming pool and asked in a small voice "Are you still mad at me? I said I was sorry." He opened his tiny fist and dropped a rock on the ground. It was only then that Rodney saw the other rocks. "I've been diving down to find the rocks," the boy said.

Rodney stared astonished at the small pile of rocks.

"You've been diving down to get the rocks?" he echoed.

Jinto nodded.

"All this time?"

"I think I got most of them. They're the same colour as the bottom of the pool, so they are hard to find."

Rodney's agitation disappeared instantly. He'd come to the wrong conclusion. Why had he been so hasty in judging the situation? Jinto was a sweet kid, despite his opinions after their first meeting. Rodney was touched that he had felt the need to keep his promise to get the rocks out of his pool, Feeling guilty about it, he told the boy to get out of the water.

"Leave the rest of the stones where they are."

"But I want to get all of them!" Jinto protested, while staying in the water. "I told you I would, didn't I?"

"You've found plenty of them. Just look how many there are."

Jinto didn't even want to look. "I'm going to search again." Without waiting for Rodney's approval, he pushed himself of the side of the pool and went back down again.

When the boy finally came back up again, Rodney asked "Does your father know that you're here and what you are doing?"

Given that he couldn't find any more rocks, Jinto climbed out of the pool. He sat on the edge, his feet still dangling in the water. He shrugged his shoulders and avoided looking at Rodney.

Rodney decided tho change the subject. He sat down next to him, taking off his shoes and rolling up the legs of his jeans so he could dangle his feet in the water like Jinto.

"Why do you think I'm angry at you?" he asked after a moment.

Again Jinto shrugged. Disheartened he said "When you walked away last night, you looked very sad."

"That wasn't because of you. You did nothing wrong," Rodney told him honestly.

"Then you must have been mad at my dad," he said with tone that indicated that that wouldn't surprise him at all. He started playing with the rocks beside him, throwing them at each other, but he didn't look like he was having fun playing this game. "My mother can sometimes be very angry at him and then they fight over me."

Rodney didn't know what to say. He looked at the playing Jinto: A boy wise beyong his years who was trying very hard not to show how sad he was.

"That is not your fault, Jinto," he said with feeling. If he could make this kid see that...

Jinto looked at him with big brown eyes.

"Sometimes it is my fault though. When I've been naughty."

"Little boys are allowed to be naughty once in a while."

"That's what Daddy says too," Jinto looked the other way.

Rodney suppressed a sigh. 'Remember', a voice in his head said.'Don't get too involved.' But how could he not with a boy that was so vulnerable and sensitive? A boy that reminded him a little of himself when he was that age?

Suddenly, Jinto turned his head. Rodney turned to see what Jinto was looking at and saw John Sheppard standing behind the fence. He had been spying on them and heard every word that had been said, but his face was devoid of any emotion.

"I have to go to Daddy," Jinto mumbled. He jumped up and slipped his sandles back on before running to his father. He stopped in front of the fence. Father and son looked at each other. After a few seconds John said calmly "Go to the bungalow and wait there for me."

Even from a distance Rodney could see the boy swallow. He then proceeded to climb over the fence and scramble down the hill.

Rodney wanted to call the boy back, but the penetrating stare of his father stopped him from doing so. Involuntarily, he did the same thing that Jinto had done: swallow. However, he did it for a different reason. Seeing John Sheppard again had made him jittery. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions under control. He had failed miserably last night, but he could do it. He just had to focus, and keep breathing.

When Sheppard jumped the fence and walked toward him, he got up.

John stopped a few steps away from him.

"I'm sorry if Jinto has been a burden to you," he said, his voice steady and without emotion.

"He hasn't been any trouble."

"I told him to stay on the other side of the beach."

The tension between them was building and it felt like if it wasn't resolved soon the situation would turn explosive.

Sheppard didn't say what he wanted to say, and neither did Rodney. After what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes he mumbled "I tried to tell him that I wasn't angry with him."

"Did you manage to convince him of that?"

"I'm afraid not," Rodney replied, a little sadly.

"He is oversensitive."

"A person can't be too sensitive," was Rodney's tart reply. His own parents had always said that of him, and that had hurt more than any of the taunts of school bully's or older cousins. A parent should protect a child when they are clearly upset, not tell them to suck it up.

"Most people are oversensitive when it comes to them, and insensitive when it comes to others," John replied as if trying to start a debate.

"Jinto's a nice kid," Rodney said softly.

"You can thank his mother for that," john said, almost regretfully.

"Not you?" Because he was feeling nervous standing so close to John, he walked away. He needed to put some distance between them. And the table on the other side of the patio would provide him with that. He dared to look back and saw that Sheppard was following him.

"Until a few months ago, I had hardly seen the boy in five years," John admitted.

Rodney sat down and used that movement to hide his surprise. From what little he'd seen of it, the bond between father and son was strong. It surprised him that it had developed in such a short time.

"Were you away from home?" he dared to ask.

John nodded, not looking at Rodney, but staring out to sea. "I was in the Middle-East and Asia. I work as a foreign correspondent for a tv-station."

A reporter! That certainly rhymed with his personality. He was one of those people that had made his life a living hell. During, as well as after the trial.

"You seem to disapprove of my work," John said, noting Rodney's suddenly closed off expression.

"It's not up to me to approve or disapprove of what you do for a living. I am a stranger to you."

"Jinto has grown very fond of you in a very short period of time."

"What am I supposed to do about that? What do you want from me?" Rodney asked in a small voice.

Sheppard didn't answer right away. For the first time, Rodney realised John wasn't as self-confident as he thought he was. For some reason, this reassured him. Maybe because it proved to him that he wasn't the only person in the world who struggled with a problem that seemed insurmountable.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but please, don't ban him from your life. Not as long as you're here. He could really use a friend right now. He needs be around other people, not just me."

"Then maybe you should send him back to his mother."

"No!" That one word had sounded like a whiplash.

John sighed deeply when he saw how he'd startled Rodney.

"The situation is very complicated. I can't explain it in five minutes. All I'm asking is… that from time to time, you'll talk to him and give him the opportunity to talk to you. I will stay away when the two of you are together."

Rodney traced the grain of the wooden table with his fingers. He should just say no. He knew wasn't any good with children. He never had been and he didn't think ever would be.

But then he thought about Jinto and he was surprised when he heard himself say "Ok, I will watch out for him."

Seven small words.

Words that couldn't be taken back easily.

Wars had been started over less.


	4. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks shootingsilverstarlight for the Beta. :) (She also writes great fic. If you haven't read any of it, go read it now, or maybe after you've read this chapter)  
And thanks again to the people who have left me reviews and put the story on story alert. :)

Chapter 3

"Rodney, catch!" Jinto shouted as he threw the bright orange ball at him.

The ball landed a few inches in front of Rodney in the swimming pool, causing the water to splash in his face. Despite this, Rodney smiled as he wondered, once again, how he ended up in the pool with a five year old kid. He threw the ball back to Jinto, who was standing in the shallow end of the pool, his mind going over the events of the past few days.

John Sheppard had brought Jinto over the day after Rodney had promised he'd watch the boy from time to time. He still didn't know exactly what had made him agree to do it, but he was a genius and really, how hard could it be to watch a five year old? Jinto loved to swim and Rodney had a pool. All he had to do was to make sure that the kid didn't drown and the way Jinto swam, that wasn't likely to happen. It would be easy. Jinto would swim and Rodney would sit in his favorite spot under the tree and get some work done. Maybe he could even get Jinto to bring him a drink while he worked.

Yep, it would work out just fine.

There was, however, one thing Rodney hadn't counted on, and that was the Jinto-factor. Rodney was right about the swimming: Jinto loved to swim and was very good at it. Five minutes after his dad had dropped him off, he was in the pool and five minutes after that came the first 'request' from Jinto. There were two kinds. The first one was to look while Jinto made a spectacular dive in the water or came up with some new trick. Request number two was for Rodney to join Jinto in the pool and for the first few days, he found ways to stay out of the water. He told Jinto he couldn't go swimming because he didn't have any swimming trunks with him, and Jinto told him it didn't matter because he could just swim in his underwear. They settled into a pattern of Rodney avoiding swimming and Jinto trying to get him into the pool. Today started no differently, but for some reason, he had agreed to go swimming. He still didn't know what it was exactly that made him say yes, but the happy look on Jinto's face when he did, made him wish he hadn't waited so long to agree to this.

Jinto had giggled when he saw Rodney's boxers (red with green kiwi-slices). Rodney didn't see what was so funny about kiwi, but it was good to see the kid happy. He had walked on the edge of the pool, trying to decide whether to jump in (like Jinto wanted) or climb in, when he tripped on one the pebbles that were still on the edge of the pool and he fell. He had come up spluttering and coughing for breath but generally unscathed. Jinto swam over to him saying it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen and then spend the next 10 minutes trying to making the biggest splash possible.

Then there had been a game of tag and diving for treasure (pebbles) and now they were throwing a ball and Rodney had to admit, he was enjoying himself. He tried to remember the last time he had this much fun and couldn't remember when that was. Rodney picked up the ball that had landed near him again and tossed it lightly in his hands. The fact he couldn't even remember the last time he had fun probably wasn't a good thing, he mused.

"I wish Daddy were here too," Jinto said out of the blue. "He likes to swim."

"I'm sure would be here if he could, but your father is a busy man and he has lots of work to catch up on," Rodney replied, using the excuse he knew Sheppard had told his son. Rodney didn't like lying to Jinto, but he couldn't tell him the truth: That his father wasn't here because he was avoiding Rodney. The only times he saw the man were when he dropped Jinto off and came to pick him up a few hours later. He hadn't come on to Rodney again, like he had the night of the barbecue. It was as if he was ignoring the fact that it had even happened. He was extremely polite, but treating Rodney like they were complete strangers who had never met before. The only thing they talked about was Jinto. Rodney suspected that if it wasn't for Jinto, they wouldn't be talking at all.

Rodney threw the ball at Jinto, who caught it and threw it back immediately. It was a wild throw that Rodney hadn't been expecting. He tried to catch it, but he missed the ball landed on the patio, near the tree. He swam to the side of the pool and started to push himself onto the edge. He was halfway out of the pool when he saw Sheppard standing there, holding the ball. Rodney lowered himself back in the water and swam to the middle of the pool, putting more distance between him and Jinto's father.

When he looked back, he noticed that Sheppard had walked up to the edge of the pool. He was still holding the ball and when he saw Rodney looking at him, tossed the ball at him.

"Here it comes," he said grinning at Rodney, who caught the ball.

"Daddy!" Jinto yelled. He swam to edge of the pool as fast as he could, climbed out and hugged his dad. "You should come swim with us, Daddy!" he said. "Rodney's pool is really cool!'

"I'm here to pick you up. It's time to go home again."

"But I don't want to go home," Jinto pouted. "Rodney and I are having so much fun.

Can't I say a bit longer?"

John looked from the pleading look on his son's face to Rodney, who was still in the pool. "Rodney may have other things to do."

"Do you, Rodney?" Jinto asked. Rodney could tell by looking at the boy that he hoped the answer to his question would be 'no'.

"Well…" he started and then stopped. He hadn't gotten as much work done as he would have liked, since Jinto started visiting. But then again, he had really started to enjoy the boy's visits and it wasn't as if he was working on a deadline either, so…

"No Jinto,' John said, interrupting his thoughts. "Maybe Rodney has nothing else to do, but I do."

"Daddy..."

"You don't want to take advantage of Rodney's hospitality, do you?"

Jinto bit his lip and shook his head.

"Then, lets go."

The boy opened his mouth, like he was going to protest, but then closed it again.

Rodney saw the sad look on Jinto's face and wished he could make him feel better. He also wondered what it was about the boy that made him care so much. This wasn't like him at all. He didn't _do_ the kid thing. He coughed, clearing his throat.

"John, if you want to… I mean later, when you've caught up a bit with work…" God, he hated it when he was like this. 'You're a grown man, you know what you're going to say. Just take a deep breath and get it over with'.

He looked up, seeing that had the attention of both Sheppard's. Jinto's eyes were filled with hope, but his father's were expressionless.

"I'm not a big star in the kitchen, but I can make spaghetti. Do you like spaghetti, Jinto?"

"Me? Do I like spaghetti? I love spaghetti!" Jinto cannonballed himself in to the swimming pool with glee. The splash he created soaked his father, who was still standing on the edge. When Jinto came up for air he was grinning ear to ear. "Can we go, Daddy? Say yes! Please?"

John wiped the water from his face and ran his fingers through his hair. "I suppose we could go," he answered slowly. His clear hazel eyes rested on Rodney. 'Do you know what you're getting into?' they seemed to be asking.

Rodney raised his chin defiantly. No, he had no idea what he was getting into. But he had asked and he had no intention of retracting the invitation.

"It's just informal. Nothing fancy" he said, shrugging.

"Then we'll be there. What time?

"What time is it now?" he asked.

John looked at his watch. "Sixteen hundred hours. That's four 'o clock."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Then stop by at six. That's eighteen hundred hours," he said smugly.

"Whoohoo!" Jinto yelled. He swam over to Rodney, hugged him, then climbed out of the pool. He put his sandals on as his father wrapped a towel around him.

"See you later," Jinto called over his shoulder as he and his father walked home.

Rodney watched them go and as soon as they were out of sight, he let himself relax and floated in the water. Looking at the sky he wondered again if he was wrong in inviting them over. He probably was, but there was nothing there could be done about it now. And besides, they were going to be in his house this time, his territory. He would be the one in control.

ooooo

Even though Rodney wasn't a star in the kitchen, he did know how to cook. His mother had insisted on it and taught him how. His father certainly hadn't liked that. He said cooking was a woman's job, which was probably her reason for teaching him. After he left home, he didn't cook much. After all, why spend a lot of time on cooking when there were perfectly fine frozen dinners available in every supermarket? They were fast, easy and uncomplicated. He still cooked every once in a while, because even though he loved frozen dinners, home cooked still tasted better. His favorite had always been spaghetti and had perfected his spaghetti making skills in college.

Rodney got everything set up in the kitchen and went to take a shower. He cranked up the pressure and heat, revelling in the way his muscles relaxed under the spray. Long minutes later, he finally dragged himself out of the stall and wrapped a towel around his waist. The moment he left the bathroom, he froze, thinking he heard a noise.

He was startled, but then laughed at himself. Twice now, he'd been surprised by a noise outside and both times it had been Jinto. It probably wouldn't be any different this time. The boy had probably gotten impatient and decided to come over early. He looked at his watch and saw that it was almost six.

Rodney started to relax again and got dressed. He knew the boy was a good swimmer and he wouldn't have to worry if he accidentally fell in the pool. A few minutes later, he sauntered over to the veranda and looked down. He wanted to have dinner on the patio. There, they could sit in the shade and not be bothered by the sun light. Leaning against the balustrade, he looked around to find Jinto. He didn't see him. Leaning out further, his heart skipped several beats when he felt the balustrade start to give way.

Rodney screamed in terror and tried to hang on to something. His hands were flailing wildly when he saw a metal bar going from the roof, past the veranda and down to the floor. He grabbed it and pulled himself close to it. He had no idea what the purpose of the metal bar was, but he did know that if it hadn't been there, he would have fallen off the veranda, fifteen feet onto the concrete patio below. He would have been dead. Or maybe not dead, but paralysed or brain damaged or…

Taking deep breaths, Rodney tried to calm down; tried to stop himself from thinking from thinking about everything that could have happened if he had fallen. He was clinging to the pole like it was a lifeline and in a way it was. He tried to move away, but couldn't move a muscle, his body paralyzed with fear.

He was still standing there what felt like an eternity later, but was probably only a few minutes, when he heard the voices. Then he saw Jinto and his father walking on the path to his house. Jinto waved at him, but Rodney couldn't say a word, or make a move.

They walked across the patio, but waited at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hi Rodney, we're back!" Jinto smiled happily.

Rodney tried to smile back, but failed miserably.

"What's wrong?" John asked, his voice concerned.

"I… I nearly fell of the veranda," Rodney said, shaking.

John looked at Rodney, who was clearly disturbed by what had happened.

"Stay here," he told Jinto before he jogged lightly up the stairs. "What did you say? You nearly fell of the veranda?" he asked when he reached the scientist, as if he wasn't sure he heard it correctly the first time. When he reached him, Rodney put a shaky hand on his shoulder and used John to steady himself as he stepped back into the veranda. Rodney nodded in response to John's question and pointed at the balustrade.

"Be careful," he told John and watched as the man walked over the balustrade and give it a shake. One big push and the thing would come crashing down.

"Was it always like this?" he asked as he turned to Rodney.

"No, I…"

"Did something fall against it?"

"Not that I know of. I've leaned against it often enough, but…"

"You should always be careful with these things and never lean over them too far."

"I'll make sure to never do that again."

Johns relaxed a bit and studied the wooden balustrade thoroughly. It looks like some some loose nails. "Do you have a hammer?" he asked.

"Maybe in the garage. I'll go take a look."

John nodded and continued his inspection of the balustrade.

Rodney walked away, his knees shaking. When he came back, he was feeling a bit better. He smiled at Jinto, who was now also on the balustrade.

"It's not really a big hammer, but it's the only one I could find."

John took the hammer from Rodney. "Don't worry, this will be fine." He told Jinto to stay back and he backed up, moving closer to Rodney. A few minutes later, the nails were deeply embedded in the wood again. John got up and gave the hammer back to Rodney. "That should hold for a while, but you shouldn't lean against the balustrade anymore."

Rodney nodded.

"Are you alright?" John asked, studying the other man's face. He was paler than usual and still looked a little spooked.

"Sure, I'm fine. I was just a little shaken up, that's all."

"I'm sure you were."

Rodney stayed close to the wall and started walking down the stairs. He had only gone down a few steps when Jinto's hand closed around his and they walked down together.

"I'm glad you didn't fall," he said. Then he was quiet for a moment, like he was thinking about something. "Are we going to have dinner soon?"

John had come down the stairs too. "Jinto," he said reproachfully. "Rodney's going to think I never feed you."

Jinto grinned. "But I'm really hungry."

"Why don't we let Rodney be for a bit. It's not going to kill you if you have to wait for a few minutes."

Jinto escorted Rodney to one of the wicker chairs on the patio and waited politely for him to sit down.

"You don't have to wait long, Jinto. We'll eat soon," Rodney promised.

It looked like Jinto was going to say something, but then, he got distracted by a yellow butterfly. He followed it with his eyes and when it landed on a flower, he snuck up on it to try and see it up close. The butterfly flew away as soon as Jinto got within a few feet. It flew around for a while and landed on a different flower, only to fly away after a clearly delighted Jinto got too close for comfort again.

His father sat down in a wicker chair across from Rodney. "It looks really nice here," he remarked.

"I think so too."

"Do you know the owner?"

He shook his head.

"I don't know the owner of my bungalow either. I found an ad for it online."

The conversation ground to a halt and both were quiet.

Rodney was starting to feel uncomfortable and shifted in his seat. Maybe he should say something or get up and leave, because the silence was getting to him. He had just decided that going to make an excuse that he had to go and get dinner started, which really wasn't an excuse because he had to do that when John said "Thanks a lot for letting Jinto come over here to visit you. He's been a lot calmer since he started coming here."

"You don't have to thank me. I like having him here."

"But still…"

Rodney got up suddenly, his face draining of colour as he remembered the sound he'd heard after his shower. The sound he thought had been Jinto, but now realised it couldn't have been. A few minutes later, he had almost fallen to his death. Despite the obvious links, Rodney refused to make the connection between the sound, the loose nails and the balustrade. 'Stop being paranoid, Rodney. Nobody is out to get you here. It was a coincidence. Co-in-ci-dence.'

"I'm going to get dinner started," he said. "No reason why we should wait any longer."

Rodney walked across the patio and John watched him go. He just couldn't read the man. It seemed like he didn't allow anyone close to him, with the exception of Jinto. And Rodney was avoiding John at all costs. He wondered if it was because of the way he acted towards Rodney during their barbecue, but he dismissed that reasoning. No, there was more to it than that. From the first moment he had met Rodney, the man had been acting jumpy. He knew he wasn't wrong about that and he wouldn't rest until he had solved this riddle.

His eyes wandered over to Jinto, who was now studying some sort of bug that was crawling along the ground. John didn't know where Jinto's fascination for the creepy crawlies came from. Elizabeth didn't like bugs and he wasn't a fan of them either. But the kid loved them. So far, John had been able to discourage his son from keeping them in jars in his room. So far… It was a mystery, just like Rodney. Maybe it was better to leave that mystery alone. If Rodney wanted to keep a secret from him, then he should respect that. Besides, John had enough problems of his own without adding other peoples' to them.

ooooo

Dinner was a big success. Jinto said he liked Rodney's spaghetti better then french fries which, coming from Jinto, was a big compliment. Another thing that had made the boy really happy was the fact that there was no salad.

"Of course there's no salad," Rodney had said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We're not rabbits, so why should we be eating rabbit food?"

Jinto had agreed wholeheartedly with Rodney and ate some more spaghetti, which he said was the bestest spaghetti in the whole world. He had to be reminded by his father to leave some room for dessert, which was chocolate ice cream.

Rodney watched as Jinto licked his bowl clean, getting the ice cream all over his face. He smiled at the kid's antics, and tried hard not to think about the incident. About the sound that hadn't been Jinto. In fact, he'd promised himself while getting dinner ready, that he would stop thinking about it completely. He was just being a little paranoid. And after what had happened to him in Oberoth, who could blame him?

His musings were interrupted by John Sheppard.

"Dinner was really good," he said.

"Thank you."

"And you said you weren't a star in the kitchen. You wouldn't do bad in a cooking show on TV. You could probably give Gordon Ramsey a run for his money. Especially in the snark-department."

"Who's Gordon Ramsey?" Jinto asked curiously.

"He's a chef," Rodney answered. "Which I am not. I just throw some ingredients together."

"That's better then what we do. We mostly throw some frozen dinners in the microwave.

Or we order in."

John gestured to his son with a grin, and Rodney turn to see Jinto practically asleep in the chair. He was trying to keep his eyes open, but it was getting harder and harder and then he let out a big yawn.

John started laughing. "You missed your nap today, kiddo."

"I hate naps!" Jinto replied sleepily.

John looked at Rodney. "I think I've heard that one before."

"I hate naps!" Jinto repeated, more forcefully this time. He really seemed to like saying that line.

"If your mother heard that, she would probably skin me alive. Not that that is anything new."

That remark gave Rodney an uneasy feeling. It looked like John had made the remark in jest, but Rodney sensed there was more behind it. Bitterness and hurt. Did John still love his ex-wife? Was that the problem he was struggling with?

John shifted in his seat. Why had he said that? He had always tried to keep up appearances for Jinto, to not let him see that his parents didn't get along with each other. Almost hated each other, actually. The fact that they were divorced was hard enough on the boy without adding to it. He sighed. Looking up, he noticed that Rodney was looking at him intently, but when their eyes met, he quickly looked away.

John stared at the other man's eyes for little longer. He couldn't see them clearly, because the scientist was now looking out across the ocean, but this angle only made his eyelashes more visible. He'd never known a man with eyelashes that long or thick. After a few moments, his gaze wandered down to Rodney's mouth, where his lips were pressed together in a thin line. His jaw was tense and so were his neck and shoulders. John thought back to the one time he had seen Rodney completely relaxed. It had been when he and Jinto had seen him sleeping under the tree on his patio. He had looked beautiful and John remembered how his body had reacted. How he wanted to go over to him and kiss him awake, like Jinto had so innocently suggested. Place his lips on that crooked mouth and Rodney would wake and kiss him back. It would be hot and passionate and then John would kiss his way down to Rodney's nipples.

John snapped himself out of his memory to find himself staring at Rodney's nipples again. He bit his lip to get his feelings under control again. 'Now is not the time. You said you would grow up, be a responsible adult. You're wants and needs should come second now. Jinto is more important. He should come first. You've hurt him more then once with your thoughtless actions and that's nog going to happen again.'

He pushed his seat back from the table and looked at his son. "Come on, Jinto. Time to go home. Thank Rodney for the the great dinner."

"Thank you, Rodney."

"You're welcome, Jinto."

"Do you need us to help you with tidying up and washing the dishes?" John asked.

Rodney shook his head. "No, you don't have to. It won't take long, so you can go home.

Will I see you again tomorrow, Jinto?"

The boy looked at him and grinned. "Definitely!"

Rodney smiled back. "Well, that's a date then."

He gave Jinto an awkward pat on his back as he walked over to his father. Rodney could just feel the other man looking at him again. It made him feel like a specimen being studied under a microscope. Rodney tried to stay calm, not to let his emotions show on his face as he looked straight at Sheppard.

This time John was the one to look away when Jinto pulled on his arm.

"Are we going now, Daddy?"

"Yes, we are." He took held Jinto's hand, which completely disappeared in his own and they walked down the path that lead to the beach.

Rodney watched them go and took a few deep breaths as he tried to get his heartbeat under control. Staring at the tall, slender man as he was leaving wasn't helping either. He felt attracted to that man like a proton to an electron, or more accurately like a moth to a flame, because he was certain that such an attraction could only end in misery. His misery, because there was no doubt in his mind who the moth was, and who the flame.

ooooo

Rodney paced in his living room, practically leaving a tread mark in the floor as he thought over the events of the past few weeks. This was not a time in his life that he needed extra complications. He needed things to be be simple right now. More then anything he wanted peace and quiet. John Sheppard was an unknown factor. The only thing he knew about the man was that he was divorced and had a son, Jinto. Rodney had to admit, even if it was only to himself, that he liked having Jinto around. But Jinto was only a child. He had nothing to fear from him. His father was a different story.

After opening the glass door, Rodney stepped out on the veranda. The sound of the ocean was a lot clearer at night. He looked up at the moon and stars. The sky was so beautiful tonight, bright and cloud free. Most nights here were and Rodney wished that he had been able to bring his telescope with him when he left Oberoth. But it had been to big to just grab and throw in the car, and by the time he left, things had gotten so dangerous that he'd only had time to throw some of the bare essentials in a suitcase and flee his house.

'Stop thinking about it: it's not going to do you any good.' Rodney forced himself to concentrate on the constellations instead. They were so bright and clear. He stepped forward to get a better view at one and sighed in frustration when he realised he was looking at Pegasus. That trial had taken everything from him. He couldn't even look at the stars anymore without it reminding him about what had happened. He pulled his gaze away from the stars and back down to Earth. He was startled to see how close to the balustrade he was. He took a few steps back.

John… 'No, Sheppard,' he said to himself. 'Just think of him as Sheppard, it's better that way.' Sheppard had secured it and the balustrade should be safe now, but Rodney wasn't taking any chances. Looking at banister in something akin to fear, he wondered once again about the sound he had heard that afternoon. Had he really heard it, or had it all been in his imagination?

Rodney rubbed his temples, trying to clear his head. There were too many conflicting thoughts; too many questions he didn't have answers to. He walked down the stairs and crossed the patio and took the path that led down to the beach. Maybe a walk along the beach would make him feel better, because right now, he felt far to restless to stay in his bungalow. A few minutes later, it felt to Rodney like he was the only person in the world. The beach was completely empty: even the seals had found somewhere else to sleep. He took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air, staring at the sea and watching as the waves rolled in.

After about half an hour of this peaceful solitude, he began tracing his way back home across the sand. The walk had definitely helped. The restlessness had gone and he was sure he'd be able to sleep now. He was close to the path leading to his bungalow when he discovered that he wasn't the only person who had decided to go for an evening walk. Close to the waterfront was John Sheppard. He was staring at the sand in front of his feet and had his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. He looked like he was troubled by something.

Rodney quickly hid behind one of the rocks. He was pretty sure that Sheppard hadn't seen him yet. But that would change if he walked up to the bungalow now. And the last thing he wanted right now was to be noticed by him. John Sheppard was the cause of much of his inner turmoil and talking to the man again now would only wind Rodney up again. He sat down close to the rock, making himself as small as possible to make sure he would remain hidden. It was uncomfortable, but it was only going to be until Sheppard left, which couldn't be more then a few minutes. Ten, tops. He could do this.

ooooo

John kicked a small pebble as he walked along the beach. He needed some time to gather his thoughts and a walk on the beach had seemed like a perfect idea. He looked back to his bungalow where Jinto sleeping peacefully sleeping in his room. He'd been out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow. It had been an exhausting day for him, but also a fun one.

Dinner had been fun and had tasted delicious. And John knew Jinto loved the time he spend with Rodney during the day. Today had been the first day that Rodney had been in the pool though. He had looked really great, with his wet hair sticking to head and his funny boxer shorts clinging to his hips like a second skin. John's mouth had gone dry when Rodney had started getting out of the pool to retrieve the ball and he'd mentally cursed when he'd sunk back down. When Jinto had asked him to join them in the swimming pool, John had wanted nothing more then to strip down to his boxers and dive in. But he knew that if he did, he would have a hard time staying away from Rodney. And he had to stay away from him, for Jinto's sake.

John pushed his hands deep down in his sweat pants and started walking along the beach. It was beautiful evening. There were no clouds and the almost full moon cast enough light down so he could see where he was going. He stopped in his tracks when he realised that where he was going, was to Rodney's beach house. He looked up and saw that there were no lights on. Rodney's probably sleeping. He wondered if Rodney slept in his boxers or naked. John shook his head.

'Don't think about Rodney, think about something else. Something innocent.' He looked down and saw a shell on the beach. 'Shells are good and innocent,' he thought, picked up a shell and brushed the sand off. It looked smooth, but there were some surprising rough edges. It reminded him of Rodney. The way the man had acted the night of the barbecue had surprised John. He was usually good at reading people, but Rodney had him totally stumped.

He turned to towards the ocean tossed the shell in and watched it sink in the darkened water. During the daylight hours, the ocean he was looking out on was the most beautiful shade of blue. Blue like Rodney's eyes. He sighed. How could he stop thinking about Rodney when everything reminded him of the man? He could say "Try harder." But, he had been trying and it hadn't worked. Maybe it was time for a different tactic. The ignoring-it-and-it-will-go-away-strategy hadn't worked, so maybe it was time to take the bull by the horns, as it were. Let the fantasy play out. Maybe if he let things happen, he could get it out of his system.

'And maybe pigs will fly,' a tiny voice in his head told him, but he ignored it and concentrated again on the water and how Rodney had looked when he was in the swimming pool . John wondered what it would be like to have Rodney's blue eyes stare it him in lust, and not fear like they had been that night of the barbecue. He would trace those beautiful crooked lips with his fingers and Rodney would pull them into his mouth, sucking on them, maybe nibble on them gently. John would place kisses on Rodney's wet skin, starting on his jaw line and then working his way down to those enticing nipples. He'd kiss them and then take them in his mouth. He would flick his tongue over them and suck on them.

John closed his eyes and moaned softly.

'Fuck', he thought. He was half hard already and he hadn't even had to touch himself. If the fantasy of Rodney got him this excited, how would he ever survive the real thing?

ooooo

Rodney tried to make himself more comfortable but wasn't having any luck. The rock he was leaning against was cold and the moss on it was wet and soggy and with his luck, he was probably allergic to it. His muscles ached all over and his legs were cramping up. What the hell was taking Sheppard so long? Why couldn't he just move? Rodney was wet and miserable and just wanted to go home. He sighed and tried to massage the cramp out of his legs. He didn't notice the few loose rocks until he accidentally bumped against them.

To Rodney, it seemed like the next few moments happened in slow motion. The rocks falling... His attempt to catch them before they hit the other rocks, even though he knew it would be futile to try... The loud noise when they had hit... And last, and definitely most disastrous, John Sheppard hearing the noise, turning to face Rodney's hiding place and saying "Who's there?"

Rodney thought about remaining silent, but he knew that wasn't the solution. Sheppard was the kind of man that would investigate something like this. He would come over and find Rodney hiding behind the rocks, and any shred of dignity he had in front of that man would be lost forever. He cursed his legs. If only they hadn't cramped up, he would have been able to wait for Sheppard to go and he could have gone back to his beach house without John knowing he had been there. But that was no longer an option.

"It's me. Rodney," he called out.

"What are you doing here?" John asked, irritated.

Rodney came out of his hiding place and slowly walked toward Sheppard, wondering what had made the man so agitated.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to go for a walk. Not that it's any of your business anyway. This isn't your private beach you know. I have just as much right to be here as you do."

John put his hands in his pockets again and turned to the ocean. "I know you do. I just didn't expect to see anyone here, that's all."

"Neither did I."

When Rodney looked at Sheppard's profile, he could see a smile forming and he could see an emotion that he couldn't quite place.

"Did we ruin each others party?"

"I would hardly call this a party."

"I guess you're right."

He didn't seem to want to add anything and Rodney didn't have anything to say either. They stood silent for a few minutes until Sheppard said "Do you want me to leave?"

Rodney shrugged. "I was just about to go inside anyway."

He started to walk to the path when Sheppard's voice stopped him. "Do you really have to go?"

"I think it would be better."

"Why?" John hoped that Rodney hadn't heard him and guessed what he'd been doing earlier.

The question surprised Rodney. "Erm.. because I'm cold and tired."

"Is that all?"

"What other reason could I possibly have?"

"The only one to know that, is you."

"Goodnight, Mister Sheppard."

John watched Rodney walk away and he knew the smart thing would be to let him go, but he just couldn't do it. Before Rodney had even set foot on the path, he put his hand on the other man's arm.

"Why don't you stay a bit longer so we can talk.'

"About?"

"I don't know. Anything, nothing. The price of banana's. It's just stupid that we're neighbours and we can't even have a conversation."

"We've had conversations."

"Only when Jinto is there. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't talk to me."

"Probably not."

"See what I mean?"

"John, I don't want to talk to anybody."

"Why not?"

Rodney didn't answer, so John continued. "I know I acted like a jerk a few days ago, but I apologized. There is something else bothering you, isn't there? Something that has nothing to do with me. Something that has made you run." He stared at Rodney's face. "You look familiar somehow."

Sheppard could see the fear creeping into Rodney's face as he said that and was slightly amused at Rodney's attempt to get away from the subject.

"So, what are you going to tell me next? That I look like one of your old girlfriends?"

John decided to humour Rodney and play along and grinned. "Maybe you do."

"There is no way in the world I can see that as a compliment."

"Maybe I didn't mean it as one."

Rodney scowled. "Have you tried speaking English?"

"Not only can I speak it, I can even write it too."

"Then maybe you should write me a letter. Maybe then you'll make sense."

"I doubt it. I often don't make sense to myself either."

Rodney rolled his eyes in annoyance.

John watched Rodney and grinned. "At least we're talking now."

"Correction: We have talked." Rodney turned away from Sheppard and started to walk up the hill.

"I'll find out you know." John yelled after him. "I'll remember where I've seen you. It's only a matter of time!"

Rodney continued to walk and pretended he hadn't heard what Sheppard had said. Unfortunately, he had heard. And those words would keep him up the rest of the night.

ooooo

In an abandoned gas station, not far from the beach house where Rodney was spending a sleepless night, a man was standing in a phone booth. He had a cold and was sneezing violently. He pressed the phone to his ear and while he waited for it to be answered, he blew his nose.

Finally there was a voice on the other side of the line. "Yeah, who's this?"

"It's me."

The sound of a squeaking mattress made it clear that the person on the other end of the line had bolted upright in his bed. "Did you do it?"

"Not quite."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That he's not dead yet."

"Why not? What went wrong?"

"It was just a little thing. I'll do better next time."

The other man cursed. "I'm paying you to do a job. I don't need failures."

"Don't worry, I'll get it done."

"It has to look like an accident."

"You're talking to the expert."

"That's what they told me. Now you have to prove it."

He heard the click that signified the other man had hung up on him and he walked out of the phone booth and doubled over in a sneezing fit.

With his handkerchief pressed to his nose, he shuffled to his car. He knew he had a fever. His life sucked. This was no way to make a living.

TBC.


	5. Chapter 4

AN: Warnings and disclaimers can be found in the prologue.  
The beta for this story was once again shootingshilverstarlight.

Chapter 4

Rodney woke up feeling like he had a hangover. He looked at the clock and realised he'd only slept for about 30 minutes. He sighed. It had been like that all night. He tried to sleep, but Sheppard's words kept haunting him. And every time he did manage to doze off, he'd be awake again after half an hour or less. It wouldn't have been so bad if those 'naps' had been restful, like the power naps he would sometimes take during the day, but they weren't. He knew he was having bad dreams, even if he couldn't remember what they were.

Rodney massaged his forehead and temples, hoping it would make the headache go away. It didn't seem fair that his head hurt like this when there had been no alcohol involved the night before. It still sucked to wake up thinking your heas was going to explode, but at least you knew you'd had a good time and that partially made up for feeling and looking like something the cat dragged in.

All he wanted to do was stay in bed and wallow in his misery, but he knew he couldn't. Jinto would be coming over in a bit, so he had to get up. He thought briefly about calling Sheppard and asking him to keep his son home for a day, but he didn't want to do that to Jinto. And it was impossible anyway, since he still didn't have Sheppard's phone number.

Looking at the clock again, he knew figured he should get up fairly soon. He still had plenty of time before Jinto would come over, but the way he was feeling right now, it would take him longer then usual to get ready. Rodney stretched his sore muscles and sat up, leaning against the headboard. He started to massage his calf muscles which were still a bit cramped from the night before when he'd been sitting against the cold, hard rocks with the disgusting, wet moss on it. He frowned. Maybe the moss was the reason he was having a headache now. Next time he was on the beach, he would get a sample and have it sent of to be analysed for known and unknown toxins. Rodney knew people thought of him as a hypochondriac, but he didn't care. If they had his health problems and allergies, they'd be cautious too.

He took some Ibuprofen and went to the bathroom for a quick shower. It didn't do anything for his headache, but it did make him feel more human. He put on a pair of shorts and a  
T-shirt and walked to the swimming pool on bare feet. He'd worry about putting socks and shoes on later. Or maybe not. It wasn't like he was planning on going anywhere.

When he got to the pool to fish the leaves out, like he did every day before Jinto arrived, he noticed there was something off about the water. It wasn't circulating at all. Rodney didn't have much experience with swimming pools, but he thought it was most likely that the problem was with the pump.

He started walking to the pump room on the other side of the patio. He knew that probably wasn't the official term for that room, but he didn't care enough to find out what it should be called. To him it was simple: it was a room, it had a pump in it. Therefore, pump room. He'd only been there once since he arrived at the beach house and that had been to activate the pump. Everything had been working well and there hadn't been a need to go back. That had been fine by him, since the room was small and didn't have any windows. He'd felt closed in the one time he had been in there and hoped that whatever was wrong with the pump, it was something that could be fixed and fixed fast so that he didn't have to spend a long time in that windowless box. The fact that the room also had very dim lighting didn't help matters.

Rodney went into the pump room, but left the door open. That way he would at least get some natural light in the room and also some fresh air, which the tiny room badly needed. As he entered the room, he noticed the total silence and grinned. He had been right; it was a problem with the pump. His eyes darted across the equipment, trying to figure out where exactly the problem was. When he spotted what could be the problem, he took a few steps forward to look at it more closely. He froze when he realised that he was now standing in a puddle of water.

In a room full of electrical equipment.

He looked down and noticed there were several more water puddles. In fact, most of the floor was wet. Rodney wondered how the water had gotten in there. He knew the sprinkler system was set to automatically go off every morning, so perhaps the water had gotten in that way. But however the water had gotten in, right at that moment, it didn't matter. You didn't have to be a genius to realise that water near an electrical system wasn't a good mix. He would leave now to get something to eat, possibly throw some towels or something on the floor to absorb the water and when he got back, the floor would probably be dry again. He could also bring a flash light with him when he got back and some tools to fix the problem.

Rodney turned to leave, but hadn't realised just how slippery the water had made the floor until it was already too late. Just like when he had lost his balance on the veranda, his arms started flailing around for something to hang on to. Once again his hands found something to stop him from falling. And just like the time on the veranda, it was something metal. Only this time, it wasn't a life saver.

The moment his hands touched the metal ring, he felt the electrical current course through his body. He was no stranger to electric shocks, having gotten shocked several times at the labs when experiments didn't go quite as he had planned them, but those shocks were nothing compared to what he was he was feeling now. It felt like every cell in his body exploded all at once.

He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

oooooooooooo

Jinto ran ahead of his father: a small, skinny boy in Whinny the Pooh swimming trunks and a Tigger towel around his neck. John listened to his son's laugher as he ran across the sand. The boy was happy because he was going to see Rodney again. John felt himself filling up with love and pride as he watched his son. Sometimes he could barely believe that the sweet little boy was his. For a long time, he'd thought he didn't want to have children. They were more trouble then they were worth and would only hold him back; stop him from doing the things he wanted to do. Because once you had children, it was all about them.

The Sheppard household had been an unconventional one. His father hadn't been the type to settle down with a woman. He would find one, love her, marry her and start a family with her. Things would be 'normal' for a while, but never more then a few years. Then, he would grow tired of his wife, divorce her and start looking for someone else and start the cycle all over again. John had always been amazed that women, knowing what his father was like, still got involved with him. Just like it had always surprised him that his father was the one to get custody of the children after every divorce. It wasn't like he'd been a bad father. He loved his children and worked hard to put food on the table, sometimes working two or three jobs, but John had always hated his father's lifestyle and had promised himself he would do things differently. He'd always been very careful in his relationships with woman, making sure they wouldn't get pregnant. Things had never gone wrong, except for the one time where he had been careless.

"Hurry, Daddy! He's waiting for us!" Jinto turned to face his father and waited for him to catch up.

John's thoughts returned to the present. Maybe Rodney would be waiting for Jinto, but definitely not for him. He thought about the events on the beach the previous night. The scientist had been hiding from him and when he tried to start a conversation, it had been obvious that Rodney wanted to be anywhere but there, talking to John. He wished he could remember why the man seemed so familiar to him. Had they ever met before? High School? College? Did he look like a man he used to know? The more he thought about it, the more he focussed on the same image: Rodney's frightened and angry face. Where did he get that image from? What was it that Rodney was running from?

Jinto was already halfway up the hill when John reached the beginning of the path and he broke into a run to catch up with his son.

"Rodney?" Jinto shouted when he reached the top. "Rodney, where are you?"

By the time John had reached the low fence, Jinto was already near the stairs leading to the veranda. He was about to run up them when John called out to his son that he should stay away from the balustrade. Hefting the few boards and clamps he brought with him to secure the balustrade higher on his shoulder, he walked across the patio. Rodney would just have to put up with for about 30 minutes more then usual. At least if he wanted his balustrade to be safe again.

Jinto knocked on the glass door a few times, but everything in the house remained silent. He looked inside and couldn't see anything moving either.

"He's not home Daddy," Jinto said sadly. "Why isn't he here?"

John frowned. Rodney had said that Jinto could come over today. Last night's confrontation couldn't have changed that, could it? He stared across the abandoned patio, his mind churning over their brief conversation the night before. He'd shouted after Rodney that he would find out who he was. Could that be what had made Rodney feel so threatened that he had given up this place and had moved somewhere he would be safer? If that were the case, he could kick himself for being so pushy. Why couldn't he just leave things alone?

He walked over to the swimming pool and scanned the area. Everything was as it should be except for the fact that Rodney was no where in sight. Then he let his eye rest on a small windowless building across the patio. The door was open and for some reason, he didn't like the look of it.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Jinto slowly climb down the stairs, looking deeply disappointed. He wondered what he would tell his son if Rodney really had fled the beach house. How could he possibly explain it to the boy, when he had a hard time understanding it himself? Seeing the sad look on Jinto's face, he wanted nothing more then to go over there, hold him close and tell him everything would be alright.

John started to walk over to Jinto, but then he looked at the open door again and felt a sense of unease. Something was very wrong. He just knew it. He changed directions and started moving toward the little building. He told Jinto to stay were he was and hearing the seriousness in his fathers voice, the boy obeyed without question. Carefully, John made his way over to the building with the ominous looking open door.

"Rodney?" he called out, but there was no answer. It only took him two more steps to reach the doorway. He looked in and saw Rodney lying on the floor. Motionless. As if he was dead.

John didn't hesitate for a moment. He walked in, knelt next to the man and started checking for his vitals and for any obvious injuries. He didn't see anything that could have caused Rodney to fall, not that it mattered now. He could look for whatever caused this later. First and foremost, he had to take care Rodney. To make sure he would be ok. He automatically took the other man's hand in his. His fingers found Rodney's wrist, searching and finding a pulse. Now that he was sitting close he could also see the slight rise and fall from the man's chest that indicated that Rodney was breathing. John used his free hand to gently caress the unconscious man's forehead. Then, he gently lifted Rodney's eyelids open so he could check on the pupils.

Rodney moaned softly and tried to pull his hand free.

John let go of his hand and ran his fingers through Rodney's hair. Not only because it was something he wanted to do, but he was also checking for injuries. He didn't feel any cracks or bumps and there was only a scrape near his temple, but that couldn't be the reason why Rodney was unconscious. He took Rodney's hand in his again and once again, the other man tried to pull his hand away from him.

"Rodney, it's me. John. Can you hear me?"

Hearing those words, Rodney tried even harder to pull his hand free. John looked at Rodney and he thought how he had never seen him look more vulnerable then right now. He knew he had to get him out of the building, but he also knew Rodney wouldn't be moving under his own steam any time soon. That left only one option. John leaned in close and lifted Rodney of the ground. John was a fit man. In the Air Force, and later on in his career as an embedded journalist, he'd found it a necessity to be able to run fast, and pitch in to lift something when needed. He struggled slightly to stand and get his balance, but after a moment he stood tall, Rodney slung over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. Rodney was no light weight, but John was still surprised to find that he was lighter then he thought he would be.

It took some manoeuvring to get himself and Rodney through the narrow doorway, but John managed. Jinto's eyes were opened wide in fear as he saw his father carry Rodney outside. He ran over to them.

"Is he dead, Daddy? Is he dead?" the boy wailed.

"No, he is only unconscious," John said as carried Rodney over to the long chair next to the swimming pool. "Jinto, put that book on the table so I can put Rodney in the chair?" Jinto did as his father asked of him while John tried to make Rodney as comfortable as he could on the chair.

Rodney shifted jerkily as he started to wake up. "What… what happened?"

"That's what we would like to know too," John said as he checked Rodney's pulse again. It was much faster then it had been before. When Rodney pulled his hand free and tried to sit up straight, John gently pressed him down again. "Just stay lying down for a few minutes. You need to take it easy for a while."

"But…" Rodney sputtered.

"What happened?" Jinto asked, seeing the scrape on Rodney's head. "Did you fall and hurt your head?"

"Erm…" Rodney looked the boy and tried to remember what happened, but wasn't really sure. He could only remember some of the things that had happened that day. He remembered waking up feeling like his head was going to explode. The motionless water in the pool and… the pump.

John had crouched down next to Rodney who looked at him, his normally bright eyes looking blurry. "I lost my balance and tried to stop myself from falling. I must have grabbed the metal ring… and that's when I got shocked."

"You're really lucky to be alive."

Rodney swallowed. That was the second time in two days that his life had been threatened by something that was beyond his control. Twice in two days!

"Are you always this accident prone?" John asked as if guessing what Rodney had been thinking about.

"No. I…." All of a sudden he a cold shiver running down his spine.

"I think it's probably a good idea if I check to see if you have any more injuries," John said comfortingly. "Is that ok?" The look Rodney gave him was one of total panic. "What's the matter?" he asked. He'd seen that look before. That's how a frightened, trapped animal looked. He hated seeing anyone that scared, but especially Rodney.

No, Rodney thought, paralyzed with fear. This couldn't be happening. It was impossible. The people of Oberoth had only tried to run him out of town. They weren't trying to kill him. He was jumping to conclusions again. He let himself be ruled by fear instead of using his common sense. They had been accidents. Nothing more, nothing less. A stupid coincidence. A concurrence of events.

He shook his head, like he wanted to deny the possibility of foul play.

"You don't have to check on me. I feel just fine. Really." He was lying through his teeth, of course. He felt miserable, but he needed all the strength he had to keep himself from falling apart. He didn't think he could deal with Sheppard touching him to check for injuries.

"Daddy is not going to hurt you Rodney," Jinto said to put him at ease.

Rodney pushed himself of the long chair and sat up straight. He was trying to stay calm, keep himself under control, but couldn't stop his body from shivering. It was the after effect of the shock, he knew, but the thoughts about Oberoth weren't doing him any good either. He wrapped his arms around himself and concentrated on his breathing. He could do this. If he could just get his breathing under control, the rest of his body would follow suit. Just like the times the experiments in his lab didn't go as well as planned. He'd never lost consciousness before, but how much worse could it be?

'Of course those times in the lab had been accidents, not someone trying to kill you.' Rodney closed his eyes to suppress that thought and the tremor that went through his body as he thought it. He opened his eyes when he felt something warm and heavy on his shoulders, enveloping him. It felt comfortable and safe. It took Rodney a few seconds to realise he was now 'wearing' a leather jacket. Sheppard's leather jacket. The man had taken it off and draped it over Rodney's shoulders when he saw him shivering. He knew the best thing to do was push the jacket away, give it back to Sheppard but he just couldn't get himself to do it. Instead he buried himself deeper in the jacket, clinging to it like it was a shield. Something that could protect him from the outside world.

Seeing Rodney like this triggered a memory for John. He saw Rodney surrounded by photographers and reporters. It caught on the edge of his memory, he just couldn't place it. He watched Rodney cling to the jacket, pulling it closer to his body. Not just for the warmth of it, but like he was hiding from something. But from what? He felt frustrated. He knew he was close to finding the answer, but to get to the truth he needed some time alone with Rodney.

Smiling at his son, he said "Jinto, could you go upstairs and get a glass of water for Rodney? I think he could use a drink."

"Yes Daddy," Jinto answered; pleased there was something he could do for Rodney. He started running up the stairs as fast as his little legs would take him.

"Don't run when you're holding the glass!" John yelled after him.

"No, Daddy!"

Rodney had given up on trying to relax. It was hopeless. It was never going to work. Not while he was wearing Sheppard's jacket and not with the man himself standing only three feet away from him. He hoped Jinto would be back soon. Maybe he would feel better after he'd had something to drink. Rodney looked at the stairs, as if wishing it would make Jinto return faster, which was of course a ridiculous thought and he knew it.

It didn't stop him from wishing it though.

"Are you going to tell me what it is you're so afraid of?" Sheppard asked, interrupting Rodney's thoughts.

"I'm not afraid," he replied, but he didn't look at Sheppard, knowing he couldn't keep the lie of his face.

"I think you are," he said softly.

Rodney tried to get up. He had to get away from this man and his questions. Things were getting too close for comfort. His legs, however, wouldn't cooperate and he fell back in the chair.

"It was written all over your face. It probably still is, which is why you're not looking at me right now."

Rodney tried to think of something to say that would contradict Sheppard, or maybe just look at him to show him how wrong he was, that he wasn't afraid. But he knew he couldn't lie well enough to do something like that and so he kept looking away.

"I've studied your face very carefully, Rodney. Do you think someone is trying to kill you?"

Rodney was startled, because Sheppard said out loud what he had been thinking. "No!" he said vehemently.

Sheppard waited a few seconds before saying "I know who you are now."

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, this couldn't be happening. He had to go, get up, leave here. Rodney silently cursed his legs for failing him again. He couldn't just sit here while…

"You were involved in a trial. The case was about industrial espionage. Someone had been selling information and plans from a factory that was making parts for nuclear weapons…"

Rodney pressed his hands against his ears. He already knew what had happened. He didn't want to hear it again. Why did Sheppard have to remember? Why couldn't he have met someone who didn't know?

"You were one of the main witnesses in the whole drama." As John was talking about it, he started to remember the events of the trial more clearly, even though it had taken place during one of the more confusing periods in his life.

He had just gotten back to the United States. Elizabeth had asked him to come over. Said he needed to spend some more time with his son. And so he did, but when he told Elizabeth about his plans to take Jinto on a vacation to the beach, she had opposed him. Had told him in very clear words that her son wasn't going anywhere with him. That he hadn't been a father for him so far and it was far too late to start caring about the boy now. A few days later, Elizabeth had changed her mind. It was her new husbands doing, John was sure of that. He had only met Simon Wallis a few times and hadn't liked the man. He knew the feeling was mutual. He also got the idea that now that Elizabeth was pregnant with Simon's baby, he didn't want Jinto around. That he wanted to start a new life without a constant reminder of his wife's past staring him in the face. John didn't like the power Simon had over his ex-wife, but since it got him what he wanted, time with his son, he didn't say anything about it.

Even with all that going on, he'd still kept up with current events and the trial had been big news back then. Or maybe the reason he watched the trial was so could tell himself that there were people worse off then him.

He grabbed Rodney's hands and pulled them away from his ears. "You can't hide from something like that. Not if someone wants to make you pay for what happened."

Rodney staggered to his feet. "I'm not hiding here and nobody is out to get me."

"Then how do you explain those accidents?"

"Haven't you ever had an accident?" he asked, his voice intense. "Or are you so perfect that nothing ever happens to you?"

"You know I'm not perfect."

"Then stop trying to act like you are. And stop telling me that…"

"I'm only trying to make you see what is going on. Someone could be out to get you. So the thing to do is to be very careful."

"I am careful."

"By touching a metal ring while standing barefoot in a puddle of water to check on an electrical installation that suddenly isn't working?" John said sceptically. "If that's your idea of careful…"

"I didn't mean to touch the ring. I lost my balance because the floor was wet."

John sighed. This whole situation didn't feel like an accident to him, but he knew Rodney wouldn't believe him if he said so. Maybe if he could find some evidence… Then Rodney would have no choice but to believe him. "I think I'm going to check out that ring for myself. Or do you have a problem with that too?"

"If I said yes, would that stop you?"

"No, it won't. But first I'm going to help you get upstairs first."

"Thanks, but I can manage that by myself."

"I seriously doubt that."

He didn't give Rodney time to argue and instead of supporting him while he walked, he lifted the man up and carried him to the stairs.

"Put me down! I'm not some little kid!" Rodney yelled angrily, trying to get out of John's grasp.

"You don't have to remind me of that, I know." John said, as he carried Rodney up the stairs. "And quit squirming or you'll send us both headfirst down the steps!" John finally reached the house, and put Rodney down on the sofa in the living room before leaving the room without saying another word.

Jinto, who had seen the whole thing, smiled happily as he gave Rodney the glass of water. "That was funny, the way Daddy carried you."

Rodney took the water from Jinto and grumbled under his breath while he drank it.

oooooooooooo

John made his way up the stairs empty handed. He had hoped to find some evidence of foul play. Not that he wanted someone to after Rodney, but if he had found something, then he

could have used it to convince Rodney and then something could be done to make sure the man was safe. But he hadn't found anything, nothing conclusive anyway. There had been a loose wire, causing the pump to malfunction. The wire had been in contact with the metal ring and when Rodney had touched it….

It could all be a stupid coincidence. But John didn't believe in coincidences like that, especially once you looked at the facts. The broken balustrade, the loose wire and Rodney's past. To him, it all added up to one thing: Rodney was in danger. The only problem was that he wouldn't admit to it. So the 64 million dollar question was how to get him to see the danger he was in?

Rodney was still sitting where John had left him on the sofa; Jinto was sitting next to him. He looked up as John entered the room, his eyes a mixture of curiosity and combativeness. It obviously still bothered him that he had been carried up the stairs.

"So, did you find anything?' he asked archly.

"Not really, just a loose wire."

"So it was an accident?"

"I didn't say that."

"I refuse to believe it was anything else!" Rodney said angrily. "And until you find something conclusive, I…" Rodney stopped mid sentence when he felt a small hand touch his arm. He looked at Jinto. He had been so angry at the boy's father that he had forgotten Jinto was even there. He swallowed down his anger. This fight could wait. He glared at Sheppard, his look saying that this wasn't over yet and then smiled at Jinto.

"I know the day hasn't gone as planned so far, and the water in the swimming pool may be a bit cold because the thermostat has been off for a while and I'm not sure for how long. But if you still want to go swimming, you can."

"Will you be swimming with me again today?" Jinto asked.

Rodney shook his head. "Not today. I'm feeling a little tired. I think I'll sit this one out."

Jinto seemed to feel that now wasn't the time to convince Rodney he should be swimming with him and grinned. "Then I'll show you how good I can dive."

"I can't wait to see it."

John cleared his throat to get Rodney's attention. "I've brought some things with me to anchor the balustrade. And now that I'm here, I can take a look at the thermostat too."

"You don't have to do that. I have a PhD in mechanical engineering. I can the thing myself."

"I'm not saying you can't, but you don't have to. I'm offering to help you. It's a small job, it will only take a few minutes, so why not let me do it?"

Before Rodney could think of something to say, Sheppard had already walked out the door, taking Jinto with him.

Rodney got up, put the empty glass back in the kitchen, then went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He still looked a pale, but it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. The scrape on his head wasn't that bad either: it didn't even require a band aid. He splashed some water in his face and then walked out on the veranda. Jinto was splashing about in the pool, but his father was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is your father?" he asked, as he walked down the stairs.

"Over there," Jinto said, while pointing to the pump room.

Rodney frowned. He should have known Sheppard would be in there fixing things. He said he was going to. He also said he brought things with him to fix the balustrade. The thing Rodney couldn't figure out though was why he would do such a thing. Sheppard would probably say it was the neighbourly thing to do, but they hardly even talked to each other, so that couldn't be it. Then he heard Jinto's happy laughter right before he jumped into the pool and it all made perfect sense to him. Jinto spent a lot of time here and Sheppard obviously wanted to make sure nothing happened to his son.

After watching Jinto play in the pool for a few minutes, Rodney made his way over to the pump room. He hesitated in the doorway. Not because he was scared, because he wasn't. And he still didn't think someone was out to get him, because obviously it was all an accident. However, it was this was the room where he had almost died and so it was only natural to not be enthusiastic about entering it.

John watched him standing in the doorway. "You can come in you know. I switched the power off."

Rodney hated the fact that Sheppard seemed to think he was too afraid to enter the room and stepped in. "I thought you might want this back," he said, holding out the leather jacket.

John wiped the sweat of his forehead. "I don't need it in here. Just put in on one of the chairs outside."

"I'm not your maid you know," Rodney said. He didn't go outside, but he didn't drop the jacket on the floor either. He just stayed inside, holding the jacket and watching Jinto's father work.

Sensing that he was being watched, John moved a bit so that Rodney could see what he was doing. "See, this was the problem," he said, holding up the loose wire. "I've put some tape on it and it should hold for a while. The rest of the wiring is looking good. But you may need to get some pool maintenance guy to take a look at it, just to be safe."

Rodney checked the things Sheppard had done, and to his annoyance couldn't find anything wrong with it. "Did they teach you this stuff in the Air Force too?"

"Nope, they didn't. My father was an electrician."

Seeing that Sheppard had everything under control, Rodney turned to walk out of the room. He'd never liked that room. It was too small and cramped, and that had been when it had been just him in the room. Things were much worse now that Sheppard was in there with him. He had almost made it out of the room when he was stopped by a question.

"Do you have any idea how lucky you are to be alive?"

"I've been shocked before and I've survived every time, as you can see."

"Electricity is a strange thing. You can never really predict how it's going to act, or how much damage it will cause. But your situation was especially dangerous because you were standing in water."

"Is this where you tell me, _again_, how you think this was all a set up to get me?"

"I think you should seriously consider the possibility. How did the floor get so wet?"

"It must have been caused by the sprinklers. They go off every morning to make sure the garden is watered."

"This is not the garden."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "I know it isn't, but maybe it seeped in while the garden was being watered. How the hell would I know?" Rodney was starting to feel annoyed again.

"Or maybe it was sprayed in here on purpose. And one other thing. Why are you here anyway? Why aren't you living in, eh, what was the name of that town again?"

Rodney's annoyance turned to anger. No matter how many things he fixed around the house, that man had no right to dig around in his life. "The name of the town is Oberoth. Although I don't know why I'm telling you this and I don't see any reason to tell you anything else!"

"They weren't very happy with your testimony, weren't they? I didn't follow the entire trial, but I did see the end. I remember hearing that because of the scandal, the factory would probably have to be closed. The people of Oberoth probably weren't very happy about that. Often the economy of a small down depends on one big company. So, do you think one of the citizens of Oberoth is out to get you?"

"I think I see why you're such a successful reporter," Rodney said, who wanted nothing more then to put an end to this conversation. "Making up a story, when there is no story there."

"The press really hounded you, didn't they?"

Rodney opened his mouth as if to say something and then closed it again. He had already said more then he had intended to. Now it was time to put an end to this conversation. He turned around and walked out the door. He sat down in his favourite spot under the tree. Jinto announced that he was going to jump in the swimming pool. He made a big splash as he cannonballed in the water. Rodney smiled at the boy as he came up for air, then swam to the side and jumped in again.

While he was watching Jinto, he couldn't stop thinking about what the boy's father had said. Partly because he had thought the same thing. Had someone from Oberoth followed him? And did that someone want to kill him? But why? He had already payed the price for his 'crime'. They had taken everything from him and he had left town. Wasn't that enough?

If that wasn't enough than that person, if there really was one, was probably mentally unstable.

Rodney thought about everybody he knew. He wasn't really a people person, but Oberoth was a small town and he knew most of its citizens. Even though not everybody worked for Pegasus, the whole town was always invited to their big social events, like the spring picnic, the summer barbecue, the Halloween bash, not to mention the Christmas and New Years parties. He had tried to be left out of these things, but as the head of his department, he'd had to be there (He really had to pay better attention to the small print in his contracts next time.) Like any town, Oberoth had some outcasts and misfits but not anyone who would travel out of state just to kill him.

He was startled when John appeared behind him unexpectedly and reached for the screwdriver that was on the table.

"For the balustrade," he explained quietly.

"You don't have to do that," Rodney replied. "You've already done enough."

"I know I don't have to. I want to."

"Electrician, carpenter. You're a regular Jack of all trades.'

"And master of all too,' John quipped.

A soaking wet Jinto had climbed out of the pool and joined them. "What does that mean, Daddy?"

"That I'm an odd-job man."

"And what does that mean?"

"That I know my way around." John ran his fingers though his son's wet hair. "I was just teasing Rodney a little."

Jinto grinned. This he understood. "Is it OK if someone teases you, Rodney?"

"It depends on who is doing the teasing."

"I guess so." Jinto stayed silent for a while and stared at his feet. "Sometimes people tease me about my name, but I like my name. I only have one though. A lot of people have two names. Do you have another name, or do you just have one, like me?"

Rodney thought about lying to Jinto. He didn't really want to get into it, or give Sheppard more ammunition for his 'teasing'. But after what had happened, it seemed like a silly thing to lie about. Besides, as soon as Sheppard started to dig around he would find out anyway.

"Meredith," he said. He glared at John as if daring him to say something.

Jinto thought about it for a while and then asked, "Isn't that a girl's name? There is a girl in my class who's name is Meredith."

"It can be both. It was my grandfather's name, and also my mother's name."

Jinto smiled. "I think it's a pretty name. Where is your mother now? Is she as far away as my mom?"

Not really sure how to answer that question, he went for the truth. "She died a long time ago. It was before you were even born."

Jinto seemed uncertain what to say or do and John stepped in and pulled his son close to him. "Maybe it would be a good idea if you got some sleep. Jinto and I will come back tomorrow and I will fix the balustrade then."

Rodney stopped himself from agreeing immediately with Sheppard's suggestion, because he didn't want Jinto to think he wanted to get rid of him. But he also knew that if he didn't agree, the Sheppard's would end up staying and he really needed to be alone right now.

"It's probably a good idea, thanks."

"Are you really going to take a nap?" Jinto asked, shocked that anyone would even consider doing such a thing voluntarily.

"He is, and so are you," his father replied.

"I hate…" Jinto started.

'Naps,' his father finished for him, grinning down at his son.

Father and son burst out into laughter. Rodney laughed with them, but his heart wasn't in it. His headache was getting worse by the minute and all he wanted to do was lie down in a dark room with a cold compress on his head.

"Before we go, I'll switch on the pump again. Get the pool back working again" John left Jinto standing next to Rodney and walked away.

Jinto put his arms around Rodney, gave him a kiss on his cheek. "I love you," he whispered.

Rodney wasn't used to spontaneous hugs and nobody had ever said those three words Jinto whispered in his ear to him and meant them. He patted Jinto on his arm, feeling too emotional to say anything to him.

John stepped out of the pump room just in time to see the hug. He walked back to the pair slowly, to give them some time to break free. When he reached them, he saw that his son smiling happily and that Rodney's eyes were moist.

oooooooooooo

A man with hunched shoulders was hanging over the steering wheel of his car staring in the distance. He had failed again. His client wouldn't be happy about that. Of course, he could say that it had worked this time, but a lie like that would come out.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in irritation. He had to come up with something else, something that would give him the desired results. He got a fresh tissue and blew his nose for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. His whole body ached and he really needed to get some sleep. He just wasn't thinking straight anymore.

He sat motionless for a while. The pressure of this job was going to kill him one of these days. He just knew it. He wished he could just walk in to the house and get things over with. It would be fast and easy, but he had to make it look like an accident.

Suddenly he smiled.

Of course. That was the answer. There was no way it would fail this time. He drove away wondering why he hadn't thought of it before now.

oooooooooooo

John was sitting outside his apartment, his eyes on the seals on the beach, but he wasn't really seeing them. Jinto was inside sleeping. Every day he tried to get out of his nap. And even though John knew it was good for him, it was something he would talk to Elizabeth about when he brought the boy back to her.

When he brought him back… He didn't even want to think about it.

What he really wanted was to take him away from the house where he wasn't wanted. Permanently. If was honest with himself, he knew that wasn't totally true. He knew that Elizabeth loved Jinto. He also knew that her new husband put a lot of pressure on her. He hadn't made her choose… yet, but it wouldn't surprise John if it would to come to that. What complicated things was that Elizabeth's pregnancy wasn't going well. John remembered her first pregnancy. It had been full of problems and complications. When they realised that their marriage was a shamble, he wasn't sure if Elizabeth's mood swings were the result of her pregnancy or her hostility towards him.

Soon he'd have to bring Jinto back. But how could he do that, knowing he wouldn't be happy there? He had left Jinto once; he didn't think he could do it again.

Keeping Jinto with him didn't seem like a solution either. He really loved his mother. He missed her terribly. John moved around a lot for his job. If Jinto stayed with him, he would hardly see his mother at all and that would hurt the boy too.

John sighed. However he looked at it, it was a lose-lose situation, but he wasn't going to accept that. There had to be a solution. This wasn't about him: it was about Jinto's happiness and future.

But how could he make sure the boy would get the happy childhood he deserved?

John stared across the ocean, hoping the answer would come to him. When it didn't, he turned around and with a heavy heart and entered the silent house.

Tbc.

Thanks for reading. People reading the story makes me happy, people who leave me a review make me even happier :)


	6. Chapter 5

AN: Warnings and disclaimers can be found in the prologue.  
Beta: shootingshilverstarlight. hugs You rule supreme :)

Chapter 5

Rodney woke up in the middle of the night, bathed in sweat. At first, he was afraid to move. He didn't know where he was, what he was doing there, or why he felt so threatened. He sat up straight in bed, clutching the sheets close to his body. He tried to calm himself down, but it was hard when his heart was racing like a runaway train. Rodney strained to see if there was anything sinister in the dark room, but saw nothing except for the alarm clock telling him what time it was. And all he heard was his out of control breathing.

When he realised he was in his own bed, well the bed of the beach house he rented, he moaned with displeasure at his childish fear. There was nothing to be afraid of here. He was home. Alone. Everything was fine. He didn't feel fine though. His boxers were sticking to his skin and even the sheets were damp with sweat.

It was fear, he realised. It was nothing but a physical reaction caused by fear. But were there real grounds for him to be so afraid? The electric shock had been real and so was the broken balustrade. He took a deep breath, held it for a while and then exhaled slowly. He repeated this a few times until felt himself getting calmer and more focused.

He checked his alarm clock, the bright neon letters showing him it was 2:42 AM. He grinned. This was usually the time he went to bed, now he was just getting up. He had gone to bed just five minutes after the Sheppard's had left, stopping only in the bathroom to take some more Ibuprofen and brush his teeth. He had fallen asleep almost instantly and had only just woken up. Rodney checked the time again and was surprised when he realised how long he had been asleep for. He was used to getting by on only five to six hours a night, or, when they were working against a deadline on, even less. He must have been really exhausted to sleep for this long.

His headache was gone, but now, he was completely wide awake and there was no way he'd be going back to sleep any time soon. Rodney got up out of bed and decided he might as well start the day early. He walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He stepped out of his boxers, kicking them to the side, and stepped under the waterfall of warm water. He closed his eyes and stood totally still for a few minutes, enjoying the way the water felt on his skin. It was good to start the day with a nice, long shower. Even if it was still the middle of the night.

Rodney tilted his head back and smiled. He had nowhere to go in the morning. No responsibility's anymore. He was free as a bird and could stay in this shower all day if he so chose. Not that he would though. He knew he'd be out of the shower as soon as the hot water ran out, but it was nice to think that he could if he wanted to.

He rotated his neck and shoulders, wincing a little as the tense muscles protested the treatment. Rodney couldn't imagine Sheppard having problems like this; muscles bunching up on him. He pictured the man in his mind: tall, athletic build. His muscles were strong and supple, his hands slender and skilful. Rodney shuddered as he remembered how those hands had felt on his skin. He wondered what would have happened if he hadn't freaked back then. Maybe John would have kissed him and maybe more. It hadn't happened of course, but Rodney couldn't help to think 'What if'. He was good at what ifs. And since there was no way he would ever have the real thing, not after what happened, he might as well have the fantasy.

At the thought of Sheppard and his outrageous hair and sinful smile, Rodney's cock immediately began to stiffen. Sighing, he slid a hand down his chest, brushing his nipples along the way before reaching to take hold of it. A few strokes and his dick was fully hard. Rodney leaned his back against the cool tile of the shower wall and let his mind wander.

_He was sitting on the blanket on the beach, waiting for John to return from putting Jinto to bed. He had taken off his shoes and socks and let his feet rest on the cool sand__. When John returned several minutes later, he sat next to him, brushing close. His hand crept up and caressed Rodney's cheeks gently. His hands slowly moved from his face to his neck, the touch sweet and gentle. When the hands reached his shoulders, they pushed. _

_Rodney was now lying flat on his back, stretched out on the sand with John leaning over him. __He reached up and pulled Sheppard on top of him, his hands playing with Sheppard's hair as their mouths met for the first time in a chaste kiss. He let his hands slide down John's neck and back. The other man moaned softly as Rodney started sucking on his lower lip. _

_Rodney felt himself getting hard and as he slid his hands down John's jeans and boxers to squeeze his gorgeous ass, he could feel his answering arousal even through all the layers of clothing. Too many layers. He pulled his hands back a little and started to push the jeans down. Sheppard realised what he was trying to do and broke their kiss. He watched as John quickly pulled off his shirt, stepped out of his sandals, and removed his jeans and boxers. _

_Hazel eyes gazed into his. __'This is all for you', they seemed to say. Rodney wanted to take off his clothes too, but before he could get started, John was on top of him again and kissed him. He opened his mouth and John's tongue slipped between his lips and playfully pushed against his own. John's hands moved down his torso and slid underneath his shirt, pushing it up slowly. Rodney squirmed in pleasure, loving the feel of John's hairy chest against his. They stopped kissing as John removed his shirt. His arms were now over his head and John kept them pinned there, licking and kissing his way down to his shoulders, chest and stopped when he reached the nipples. _

_He shuddered when John flicked his tongue over the already hard left nipple and melted when John closed his mouth__ completely over it and sucked it in hard. His pants were being unbuttoned as Sheppard moved his attention to his other nipple. He mewled in protest when the sucking stopped. He wanted to grab John and pull him back to his nipples again, but his arms were pushed back over his head again. He lifted his hips to make it easier for Sheppard to remove his pants and boxers and watched as they were thrown on the heap with the other clothes. They somehow looked right, mixed together like that. _

_He didn't have much time to think about it though as Sheppard started to place light kisses on his calves and slowly worked his way up his legs. Nuzzling his groin, inhaling his scent. He gasped as John took his balls in his hands an__d massaged them gently. John continued to do this as he licked the shaft of his hard cock; his tongue brushing over the head, lapping up the precome, before taking it into his mouth. He whimpered Johns lips slid down his shaft, his cock sliding deeper in the warm, wet heat of his mouth. Rodney was close: he could feel it. Then suddenly, the mouth was gone from his cock and pressed against his lips. John was kissing him and he could taste his own precome in that kiss and that shouldn't be hot, but it was and so were their bodies. Hot and sweaty and fitting together so perfectly, it was almost scary. He could feel John's tense right before he came. His come mixed with their sweat, cementing their bodies together. The thought of staying together like this was enough to push him over the edge…_

Rodney's eyes were wide open as he came hard in his hand. He leaned against the wall, and let the warm water wash away his come. He watched with morbid fascination as it disappeared down the drain. It was all gone now and so was fantasy Sheppard. Rodney wondered what the man would say if he discovered that he'd been jerking off while thinking of him. He hoped he wouldn't be angry or disgusted by it, but Sheppard had made a move on him during the barbecue, so maybe he wouldn't be. Not that it mattered though. He had messed things up. And even if he hadn't, there was no way a man like John Sheppard would be with a guy like him. He wondered why John had even made a move in the first place and then he remembered something the man had said on the beach. It had been weeks since he had talked to an adult.

Rodney had just been convenient, that's all. The first person to come along. He could have been anybody.

He quickly finished his shower, grabbed a towel and started drying himself. He opened the door and a window to let some of the moist air out and realised that once again he was standing on a wet floor in a puddle of water. Since he was in a bathroom and he had just taken a shower, it wasn't much of a surprise, but it got him thinking back to what Sheppard had said: that the water in the pump room hadn't been accident. That there was someone out there trying to kill him. The thought was ridiculous and he couldn't believe he was even considering it, but what if it was true? What could he do about it?

He could contact the FBI, but would they believe him? There had only been two accidents and there was no evidence that they hadn't been anything but accidents. Gut feelings didn't count as proof. He couldn't go to the FBI with that. And even if he could prove he was being threatened, he doubted they could do anything for him. After all, he wasn't a witness anymore. The police protection he was under during the trial had ended right after. The case was closed and they didn't need him anymore. The FBI would probably tell him to report it to the local police. And he already knew that without evidence, there was nothing they could or would do. Rodney shook his head, resigned. Nope. There was nothing that he could do.

Slipping into a pair of blue and white striped boxers, he started thinking about how he ended up in this situation in the first place. Part of him wished he hadn't accepted the job offer from Pegasus Systems, but it had been too good to decline. The position had been as Head of the Research and Development Department. It came with an amazing salary, a house and even a small lab next to his house that he could use for his own private research. There was no way he could decline an offer like that. And for a while, things went great. He loved his job. His staff wasn't a bunch of complete morons. He loved his house and the little lab they had provided him with was amazing too. He should have realised then that things were too good to last.

It had all started to fall apart the day a group of Pegasus accountants showed up at his home lab in a state of panic.

"_Doctor__ McKay, we need your assistance," the first accountant said after Rodney opened the door of his lab. _

"_There has been a power failure at Pegasus systems and..."_

_The moment Rodney heard the words 'power failure', he grabbed his coat and car keys and would have been out of the door if it hadn't been for the people blocking the doorway._

"_Will you people get out of my way so I can get to work on the power problem?" he snapped in a huff. He didn't want to shove these accountants out of the way. They were the ones who got him the funds he needed for his projects after all. But, if they wouldn't let him leave soon, he probably would._

"_We'll get out of your way as soon as you help us," Accountant Number One replied and showed him the papers._

_This confused Rodney. He was a genius and knew almost everything about everything, but he didn't see how he could possibly help them with what looked like some sort of accountancy problem. He told them this and that prompted a long and boring explanation that Rodney tuned out after the first 10 seconds. It had been something about an unfinished report that needed to be completed, printed, signed, copied and sent to the government today or they missed the deadline for funding of a new project. And since Pegasus Systems had no power, the only secure place they could work on the report was his private lab._

_Rodney mumbled under his breath__ about the idiocy of waiting until the last moment to finish things and powered up a computer. He logged on with a special guest password that would allow them to use the computer for basic programmes, but wouldn't give them access to any of his research. He took a minute to make sure they were settled and their file was working. He didn't like leaving people in his lab, but this was an emergency. He needed to be at Pegasus to make sure the power would be restored, find out what had caused it and make sure it wasn't going to happen again. He told the accountants to lock up his lab when they were done and left._

_When he had returned home several hours later, the accountants were gone. He figured they had been in a rush to make their deadline, because they left the computer on and several printed documents strewn across the desk. He sighed. Would it have killed them to clean up after themselves? It would have only taken a minute. Rodney debated calling them and demanding they come back and clean up the mess they made, but then they would be here and who knows how long it would take for them to leave again? The accountants were the biggest gossips at Pegasus Systems and no doubt they would want to tell him about who was doing what to whom and what such and such said about someone's father's brother's nephew's cousin's former room mate and after the day he had, he wasn't in the mood for it._

_He stacked up the papers and dropped them in the trashcan that was under the computer desk when he noticed the manila folder that was in the trash. It wasn't one of his, so it must have belonged to the accountants. He got the folder out, opened it up and started to read._

Rodney put on a bathrobe, not really feeling like getting dressed yet and walked out the bathroom. He still couldn't believe that the accountants hadn't noticed that they didn't have the folder with them when they left his lab. Or how they had even had the nerve to take these papers out of Pegasus Systems in the first place. Moving them around like that only increased the chance that someone would find out about it. And these had not been papers you would want someone else to see.

He walked to the linen closet and grabbed some clean sheets.

Sometimes he wondered why he read those papers in the first place. Why hadn't he just called the company when he discovered them? He could have yelled at someone for their complete incompetence for leaving the papers with him. They would have sent someone to pick up the folder and then everything would have been fine. There would have been no trial and he wouldn't have been run out of town.

With the sheets clutched to his chest, Rodney returned to his bedroom. He had draped them over a chair and was about to remove the messy, damp ones when a scratching noise on the veranda got his attention.

Rodney froze on the spot and held his breath while he listened for any more sounds from the veranda. Again, he heard the scratching sound and this time it was accompanied by a loud crash. It sounded like one of the flower pots had fallen off the table. Rodney swallowed down the panic he was feeling. He couldn't just stand here like a statue, he had to do something. But what? 'Call the police, you moron!' his mind screamed at him and it snapped him out of his terror. Right. The phone. It was in the hallway. He almost reached his bedroom door when he heard the scratching sound again. This time, it was on the front door.

For his second time during his stay in the beach property, he wished it wasn't so remote. The nearest town was 30 minutes away by car. So, it would take the police at least that long to get to him, and he was sure from the sounds he heard on the door he didn't have 30 minutes. Rodney felt his control slip as the panic gripped him again. He took a few deep breaths and tried to think logically about the situation. Waiting for the police wasn't an option anymore, so it was time for plan B: leave the house. He wondered what it said about him that he actually knew the fastest way out of the house from every room. And not just for this house either, but for every place he had been to after the trial.

Paranoia was a character flaw, except when they really _were_ out to get you.

At the sound of another flowerpot falling, Rodney stopped trying to be rational about the situation and acted purely on adrenaline. All he could think about was leaving the house. Fast. Without taking the time to put on clothes or shoes, he opened the window and climbed down the trellis bracketing the side of his house. It was difficult and painful and he scraped his knuckles and knees several times, but he eventually made it to the ground relatively silently. When he reached the ground, he pressed his body close to the wall of the house and took a few seconds to catch his breath.

Things were quiet now. He didn't hear any sound coming from the veranda anymore, but that didn't mean anything. Maybe they were just being quiet or maybe they were in the house already. They was no way for Rodney to know for certain and there was no way he could find out either. The one thing he did know for sure was that he couldn't stay here. They would find him sooner or later and something told him that it wouldn't be good if they did.

He needed help and he needed it fast, but where could he go? Where could he get help? Town would have been an option if he hadn't left the house in such a hurry that he'd left his car keys in the desk in the living room. He could probably hot wire his car, but what if they were expecting him to leave by car and put someone in the garage? There had to be somewhere else he could go, someone else that could help him.

'Sheppard,' he thought suddenly. 'His house is only 5 minutes away.'

Without thinking about it one more second, Rodney ran across the patio, stepped over the fence, scrabbled down the path leading to the beach and pressed himself close to the large boulders that where there, not caring about the wet moss. He took a minute to calm himself down. He shivered. He knew it wasn't just the fear and adrenaline that caused this, but the cold too. Leaving the house in the middle of the night, barefoot and wearing nothing but boxer shorts and a bathrobe had not been one of the smartest moves he'd ever made. But he was out of the house and still alive. That was the good news. The bad news was that he wasn't at Sheppard's house yet and to get there he had to run across the beach, where there was no cover. Rodney could only hope there was no-one on the veranda and if someone was there, that they wouldn't be looking at the beach. Because if they did, he'd be screwed. Rodney quietly said a quick prayer to a God he didn't believe in, took a deep breath and started to run.

ooooo

John was sitting in bed reading War and Peace. At least, that had been the plan, but he just couldn't concentrate. He kept thinking about Jinto. What should he do? What would be the best thing for his son? His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud banging on the door.

He jumped out of bed, quickly put on a pair of jeans and made his way to the front door, curious about who would be knocking on his door in the middle of the night. However, he wasn't just going to open the door. He wasn't dumb, and years spent in war-zones had taught him caution. If he'd been alone, he might have been les cautious, but he had the safety of his son to consider now.

"Who is it?' John called.

"It's me, Rodney!" a voice sounded frantic. "You have to let me in! I…"

John opened the door and stared at the man standing in front of him. He couldn't believe that the distraught man in front of him was Rodney. His hair was wet and sticking out at odd angles. He was only wearing boxers and a stained bathrobe. And no shoes? Then he looked up again and saw the look of fear and panic in Rodney's big blue eyes. What the hell could have happened to Rodney that would make him show up at his place in the middle of the night looking like this? He tried to speak, but Rodney had already pushed passed him, grabbing his arm on the way. John had just enough time to close the front door before Rodney pulled him further into the house.

Clinging to his arm, Rodney whispered frantically "There was someone on my veranda. They were trying to get in."

John tried to remain calm as Rodney told him this, but it was difficult to keep the façade. The man was spooked enough as it was and didn't need the extra stress of knowing that John was worried.

"Did you see them?"

"No. I left as soon as I heard them."

Rodney was shaking like a leaf as John led him to the sofa in the living room. The scientist clung to his arm when they sat down.

"What happened?" John asked, his voice all business like.

"I… I was awake and there was someone on the veranda. I heard them."

"Did they get in the house?"

"I don't know. I didn't wait long enough to find out. I just ran."

"That was a smart move. Do you know how many there were?"

Rodney shook his head and ran his fingers distractedly through his hair.

'He must have just gotten out of the shower,' John thought. His hair was still wet and sticking out at odd angles. Despite the worrisome situation, he couldn't help but notice how attractive he thought Rodney looked.

"I have no idea."

John thought for a moment. He didn't have his gun with him. It was part of his standard equipment when he was out on assignment abroad and when he wasn't on assignment he kept the weapon in a locked box at home and that is where it was now. He didn't bring it with him on this vacation because he didn't want Jinto anywhere near a weapon. Accidents happened all the time and he didn't want his son to become one of the many children who were injured or killed each year because they were playing with their parent's guns.

"Would you like me to have a look?" he asked. He knew he could take care of himself in most situations. Things could get risky if there was more then one person trying to break in to Rodney's house or if they were armed, but he should at least make the offer.

"No, you will do no such thing. I …"

Rodney stopped speaking when he saw Jinto standing in the door opening. The child was wearing light blue Winnie the Pooh pyjamas. He blinked his eyes sleepily and walked over to his father. He didn't seem to notice Rodney was there until he had reached the sofa.

"Daddy… what happened? Was it something bad?"

John pulled his son close to him. "Rodney came over for a visit. Isn't that nice? He might even stay over."

Jinto aimed his attention at Rodney. "You can stay in my room if you want. I don't mind."

"We'll have to see about that," John told his son. "But first I have to talk to Rodney for a while. Why don't you go back to bed? When you wake up in the morning, Rodney will still be here."

Rodney was about to protest, but didn't say anything. He couldn't go home, not now anyway. And where else could he spend the night? He didn't know if there was a hotel in the nearest town and even if there was, he couldn't show up there dressed in a bathrobe.

John placed a kiss on his son's head and let him go. Sleep drunken Jinto walked over to Rodney, gave him a good night kiss and grabbed his father's hand. "Will you tuck me in, Daddy? Please?"

John looked in Rodney's direction. 'Stay here', his eyes said as he turned around and followed his son. Rodney bit his lip and watched his still trembling hands. After only a few minutes John returned.

"Perhaps it would be wise to call the police," he suggested.

"What time is it?"

John checked his watch. "A little after 3.30."

Rodney sighed deeply and wrapped his arms protectively round his chest. "I just don't know what to do. I wish… I wish none of this had happened."

John sat down next to Rodney offering silent support, knowing that nothing he said right now would make a difference. After sitting like that for a few minutes, John got up and patted Rodney on his shoulder.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep? You can take my bed and I'll take the sofa."

"I'm not sleeping in your bed! It's bad enough that I disturbed you in the middle of the night." It was only now that Rodney noticed that Sheppard was only wearing jeans and quickly averted his eyes from John's naked chest.

"I'm always happy to help. Besides, isn't that what neighbours are for?"

"Not everybody would agree with you on that," Rodney answered, his voice dull. He remembered his resolve to never call on John Sheppard for help and look where he was now.

Never say never should be his new maxim.

ooooo

After failing to convince Rodney that he should take the bed, John retreated back to his bedroom, leaving the sofa to Rodney. Not that the scientist slept. He was lying in the dark waiting for it to be light again, trying hard not to think about anything that could make him panic, but wasn't having much luck.

He couldn't sleep and he felt cold. Even the blanket that Sheppard had given him couldn't keep him warm. He shivered and wished he could sleep. He wished so much that he could sleep and wake up the next morning and discover it had all been a bad dream. What he was going through now was worse than anything that happened to him when he was a child or what he experienced in Oberoth.

Being unwanted was one thing: being the object of elimination was something completely different.

ooooo

Rodney was lying on the sofa when John came into the living room in the morning. The sun hadn't been up for long and Rodney wondered if Sheppard had gotten any sleep. He watched as the man buttoned up his shirt and walked into the kitchen. He came out a few minutes later carrying two cups of coffee. He put them on the table and sat down on the chair next to the sofa.

"Good morning. I thought you could use one of these."

Rodney sat up, adjusted his bathrobe and took a sip of the coffee.

"I'm going to check on your house," John said after finishing his coffee.

"Then I'm going with you," Rodney said, getting up from the sofa.

John shook his head. "It's better if you stay here."

"But I want to come! It's my house, my problem. I can't just let you go off without me."

"I've dealt with, worse situations. Besides I want you to stay here, with Jinto."

Rodney had almost forgotten about the boy.

"I don't want to leave him alone in the house," Sheppard continued.

"Then you should stay here, and I will just go home. I'm sorry I just barged in here last night. It was probably just my imagination playing tricks on me."

John didn't bother to respond to what Rodney said and walked to the door. "I'll be back in 30 minutes. Here are my car keys. The car is in the garage on the side of the house. If I'm not back in half an hour, take Jinto and go to the nearest police station."

Rodney fumbled a bit with the keys when John threw them to him. And by the time he put them on the table, John had already left.

ooooo

The room was too small, too narrow and it made him feel boxed in. He thought about turning on the TV to distract himself, but Jinto was still asleep and he didn't want to wake the boy. Rodney looked at the clock on the mantelpiece. Sheppard had been gone for twenty minutes. Twenty one. He got up and started pacing.

He still couldn't believe that the things that had happened were done deliberately and hadn't been accidents. The broken balustrade and the loose thermostat wire had to be coincidences, right? But what about the sounds on the veranda? There was practically no wind last night; barely enough to make the leaves rustle on the trees, never mind knock over heavy flower pots. The only other think he could think of it being was a bird or small animal. It chilled him to the core that it could have been a person out there, ready to harm him.

He was probably being paranoid about the whole situation. It was the only logical conclusion. The trial was over. The people of Oberoth had already run him out of town. What more could they possibly want from him? Revenge? Could someone hate him so that they would follow him all the way here in an attempt to kill him?

Rodney stopped pacing when he heard the back door open. He grabbed the car keys from the table and positioned himself close to the door to Jinto's room. If the person entering the house wasn't John, he'd go into Jinto's room, get the boy and make a quick escape from the house.

When the door opened and Sheppard came in, Rodney could feel some of the tension leave his body. He tossed the car keys to John, who caught them with an easy that both annoyed and impressed him.

"So…,' he started.

"There was definitely someone there," John said. "One of the flower pots had fallen off the veranda."

"I know. I heard that."

"And a few of the chairs were knocked over too. It wasn't windy enough last night for those to have blown over on their own."

Rodney nodded. "That's what I was thinking too," he replied.

"Those were the only clues I could find," John continued. "There's no-one there now. I checked the entire house and as far as I can tell, everything is still where it should be."

"How did you get in? The front door was locked, wasn't it?"

"Yes it was, but you left your bedroom window open."

Rodney fidgeted nervously with the cord holding his bathrobe closed. "Well, I guess I can go home now."

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Seeing Rodney looking confused, John continued. "Why do you assume they won't be back?

Rodney could feel himself get angry, feel the blood start to boil. He wasn't angry at Sheppard, but with the whole situation.

"Of course I have to go home! What else am I supposed to do? Stay here? In my bathrobe? I can just see it now."

"You wouldn't have to," Sheppard replied. "I've already thought about that." He put the back pack he'd been carrying down on the table. "I took the liberty of taking your laptop with me and I also grabbed some of your clothes."

Rodney stared at him, stunned. "What is this?"

"This is nothing. I just brought you your laptop and some clothes."

That was the last straw. The fact that he had come to Sheppard for help last night did not give him the right to invade his privacy by going through his things.

"You didn't have the right…" he started, his anger aimed at Sheppard now. He grabbed the bag from Sheppard's hands and positioned himself behind the sofa.

"Take it easy. You look like you're going to pop a vein."

Rodney opened the bag and riffled through it to see what was in it and closed it again. "I repeat: You had no right to go through my personal things!"

The angrier he got, the more amusing Sheppard seemed to find the situation.

"I didn't think you wanted to walk around in your bathrobe for the next few days."

"The next few days? You can't seriously think that I…"

"At least consider it," Sheppard interrupted him. "What are you going to do tonight if those guys return? Make a run for my place again? Obviously, you're more then welcome, but maybe some planning could save you a lot of running."

"What kind of planning?"

"Easy. I'll move in to your house and you'll stay here with Jinto."

"But…"

"I don't think it would be a good idea for all three of us to stay at your place. I don't want to expose Jinto to any danger. So, once again: You and Jinto stay here and I'll move into your place. They won't expect to find me there."

"I can't let you do that. This is my problem, not yours!"

"Can you handle it alone?"

Rodney sighed deeply. "No."

"Then let me help you."

"You don't even know me!"

"Jinto does, and he's crazy about you."

"This could get dangerous for you too, you know."

Casually, John replied "I've been in dangerous situations before and I know how to handle myself. I'm not going to take any unnecessary risks. If something happens, I'll call the police."

"Why don't we just call them now?"

"Well, we could, but there is nothing for them to find and they might scare off whoever is trying to get to you."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It isn't when we don't know what they're going to do next." Sheppard leaned casually against the table. "Trust me, this will work."

"And what do we tell Jinto? I mean, when I'm here and you're…."

"We'll tell him the truth. Well, part of it anyway."

'And you'll do that before you leave?"

He nodded. "It's my intention to go to your house in about two hours and then stay there. We shouldn't give them the impression that we switched houses."

"No."

He studied Rodney's face closely. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I don't understand…"

"What?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Maybe because I'm an adventurous person. You know what I do for a living."

"I don't think that's the whole reason."

Sheppard shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm just a helpful kind of guy and you need help."

"That's still not an answer."

"It's the only one you're getting," John said, straightening and pointing down the hallway. "The bathroom is at the end. Why don't you take a shower and get dressed and I'll get breakfast ready."

"I'm not hungry," Rodney said as he started walking to the bathroom.

"Yes you are. You just don't know it yet," John smirked. "But you'll change your mind once you see the food. Just like you did at the barbecue."

Rodney stared at John's handsome face and couldn't help but be attracted to the man. He quickly averted his eyes and walked to the bathroom without giving further comment.

ooooo

"What time does Jinto usually wake up?" Rodney asked. He was sitting across from John at a small wooden table. He had made bacon and eggs and Rodney had already eaten a plate and was starting on seconds.

John looked at his watch. "In about an hour, I think."

So, he'd alone with the man for another hour. Rodney felt more comfortable now that he was out of the bathrobe and was actually wearing clothes, but it still didn't feel right that Sheppard had gone through his things. He didn't like the idea that a stranger…

He studied the man sitting across the table from him, drinking a cup of coffee. Could he still consider Sheppard a stranger after everything that had happened? He saw Sheppard look at him and smile, like he knew what Rodney was thinking.

"I've met your type before", he said casually, like he was commenting about the weather.

"My type?" Rodney was instantly guarded. He didn't know much about Sheppard, but he knew his type too: the reporter type. Statements like that were dangerous. They were made to draw out information. Information that would then be sensationalised for the entertainment of the masses. He had hoped that Sheppard wasn't like the others, but now he wasn't so sure anymore.

"You don't like to ask people for help. You only do it when there is no other option."

"And that's a bad thing?'

"No, I'm like that too. But the difference is that I know I can take care of myself. I've got years of experience. I'm not so sure about you though."

Rodney sighed. He hated being right. Sheppard was angling for information, just like the others had. He pushed his chair back from the table.

"I think it's time I go."

"Back to your beach house?"

"I think I'll go south."

"What town? Do you have a town in mind?"

Rodney stared down at his plate, suddenly not hungry anymore. "No, but I'll find something eventually."

When he looked up, Sheppard was still looking at him, studying him. "Do you think that will solve your problem?" he asked softly.

"You mean whoever's out to get me will still find me?"

"Why not? They found you here, didn't they?"

Rodney cast down his eyes and buried his head in his hands. "I just don't understand it."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

No, he didn't want to talk about it. Living through it was enough and talking about it would only bring everything back. He might even break down again and he just couldn't allow that to happen. Not here. Not now. Not with Sheppard sitting right there.

"Maybe I can try and help you understand what happened."

Slowly Rodney raised his head. "Would you use what I told you?"

"Use how? As a story you mean?"

He nodded.

John shook his head. "I know this is probably hard to believe and I'm sure it's been said to you before, but I'm not like the journalists you've been dealing with. Anything you would tell me would stay between you and me. Besides, I'm on vacation and if I were on the job, I wouldn't be here in the US."

Rodney took some time to think about what Sheppard had said. The journalists he'd encountered so far hadn't given him much reason to believe in their integrity. But somehow he wanted to believe the man sitting across the table from him. Maybe he should take a chance on John Sheppard.

He started telling him about everything that happened. From the mysterious appearance of the incriminating documents to his forced departure from Oberoth.

"You've had a lot to deal with. No wonder you're… over-sensitive."

Rodney stared down at his hands. He'd clasped them together to stop them from trembling early on into the tale. Retelling the story hadn't been easy for him. It still hurt a lot to think about it. He was lost in thought and it took him a while to realise that Sheppard was asking him a question. Looking up he saw Sheppard leaning in over the table, his face worried. His hand was moving across the table towards his, but stopped when he saw that Rodney noticed.

John saw Rodney staring at his hand and pulled it back. He wanted to touch Rodney, comfort him and tell him everything would be fine, but he couldn't do that. He cleared his throat to get the other man's attention.

"Rodney? Are you OK?

"Yeah, I'm fine."

John could tell Rodney wasn't, but he needed to press on, to get more information so he could figure out what was happening, why it was happening and then put a stop to it. It all started with those documents.

"You found those documents after the accountants had left, right?"

"Yes."

"So it's likely that one of them left the file in your lab?"

"Probably. They needed to finish the paperwork on some project and were working against a deadline, so they probably didn't notice when the file fell in the trash. Maybe they would have found it if they had bothered to clean up after themselves, but…" Rodney stopped when he saw the look on John's face.

"You don't think it was an accident, do you?"

"No, I don't. I think someone left them on purpose for you to find."

"Why?"

"So you could do their dirty work for them. You said they were working on a file that needed to be sent to the government…"

"Yes?"

"Then why did they bring a file with documents containing incriminating evidence against the presidents of the company? That's no way to get a contract. It is, however, a way to get a government investigation started. Now that we know it was probably one of the accountants, it still doesn't explain why they chose you to leave the information with. Do you know any of them personally?"

Rodney shrugged. "I've seen them around the office, and around town, but that's it."

There went one of his theories, but he had to ask anyway. "You didn't know any of them as a friend or a lover?"

"No."

John sighed. "Maybe the person who left the documents isn't the one who is out to get you. After all, he doesn't have a reason to be afraid of you."

"Afraid? Of me?"

"Why else would they be trying to get rid of you? Revenge?"

"That's the only thing I can think of."

"They've already forced you to leave Oberoth. What more could they possibly want?'

"I don't know."

"Someone is afraid of you. Do you have any idea who it could be?"

"I… I have no idea."

"Think of all the people you know in Oberoth. Was there anyone who acted completely different?"

"The all acted completely different," Rodney answered bitterly. He took a sip of his coffee and stared at the cup.

"Didn't you have any friends?" John asked, his tone of voice indicating that found that hard to believe. "How long did you live in Oberoth?"

"Two years. Before that I lived in Denver…"

"Did your friends there abandon you too?"

"I came to the conclusion that I didn't have any friends."

He shook his head. "A scandal does strange things to people."

"Everybody blamed me when Pegasus Systems lost all the government contracts."

"Unemployment does strange things to people too. Or the threat of losing their jobs. Didn't they realise that Everett and Sumner were the real traitors? They were the ones who sold technological secrets to foreign governments."

"The people there weren't very happy about that, but Sumner and Everett made sure to sell them to friendly foreign powers. Besides, they assumed that those secrets would leak out sooner or later anyway. All Sumner and Everett did, was speed up the process."

"To make a profit."

"Oberoth saw that as a good business initiative."

"Was Pegasus Systems the main employer?"

"Yes."

For most of the conversation, Rodney had been staring at either the table or his cup of coffee on the table and he could feel Sheppard looking at him. That was part of the reason he was looking down. The table was safe and wouldn't judge him and Sheppard might. There was only one way to find out though. Rodney raised his head and looked straight at the other man. He hadn't been sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the sincere sympathy he could see in those hazel eyes.

He raised his chin defiantly. He hadn't told the story to gain Sheppard's sympathy.

"I don't need you to feel sorry for me," he said fiercely.

"Did I say that?"

"No, but there was no mistaking the look in your eyes."

"I wouldn't like to go through what you had to deal with."

"I still don't need your pity!"

"Okay, no more pity."

Rodney got up and walked over to the window with the ocean view. He folded his arms across his chest protectively.

John pushed his chair back from the table. "Be that as it may, we still don't know who's out to get you."

"I still can't believe there is someone out there who's trying to kill me."

"I know there's no concrete evidence, but it's best if we don't dismiss it out of hand either. Stay vigilant. That way it's harder for them to catch you unaware and it will lessen the risk."

Rodney leaned his head against the window. What should he do? How could he continue his life like this? John was right. No matter where he went, his attacker, if he existed, would find him.

Staring at the ocean, he wondered why his life had to be this complicated and for a short moment, he wanted to be a child again. Life hadn't been fun then either, but at least he knew what he could expect then and nobody had been trying to kill him.

John got up out of his chair and watched Rodney as he leaned against the window, tension radiating from his body. He couldn't help but feel for him. For everything that had happened and was still happening. He wanted to protect him and keep him safe.

He walked over to Rodney and after some hesitation put a hand on his shoulder.

Rodney turned his head. His eyes looked blurry and he made a small whimpering sound. John pulled him close to him, held him for a few seconds and then let him go.

"Don't worry too much," he said. "We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise."

Rodney felt like he was floating. It had felt great to have John's strong arms around him and to know that he cared. He revelled in those feelings for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and pushing them away. Now was not the right moment to give in to them.

TBC

AN: Thanks to everybody who's reviewed so far. It's been really great reading them. :)


	7. Chapter 6

AN: When I first started this story I planned on writing one chapter a week, and for a while it worked, but then rl and HP7 plotted against me and delayed this chapter by many weeks. I've allready started working on the next chapter, which hopefully won't take as long to finish as this one.

Thanks to anyone who has reviewed and also those that poked me these last few weeks. Without you it probably would have taken even longer before this chapter was done.

Chapter 6

The tall, well groomed man frowned as he heard his assistant approach his office. He knew she wanted to talk to him about the latest economic projections for Oberoth and he knew they wouldn't be good. The town had suffered when Pegasus Systems closed its doors. A lot of people had lost their jobs and as a result, a lot of people were in debt. Something needed to be done and it needed to be done fast.

And even though it probably should be, Oberoth's economic crisis was not his main concern.

What troubled him most was a man staying in a beach house on the Californian coast. It annoyed him to no end that it was still troubling him. This should have been taken care of by now. His so-called _'expert_' had assured him it was a piece of cake; that nothing could go wrong. That had been two days ago and he hadn't heard from the man since and that bothered him. Had something gone wrong? Had he been arrested? Were they closing in on him? He wanted to be able to sleep again at night, to not have to lie awake worrying about this anymore, but he knew his nights would stay restless until he got that phone call.

He'd been staring at his phone a lot for the past two days, waiting for it to ring. His mood alternated between despair and anger, and he had to fight hard at times to keep his composure and temper in check. A few times, he'd been close to just picking the phone up and hurtling it across the room out of sheer frustration, but he knew he couldn't do that. He had to keep up appearances, fit in. There could be no clues at all that he was involved in something other than the everyday ordinary goings on of his business. Well, as everyday and ordinary as it ever got in Oberoth.

If it worked… _when_ it worked, he should be beyond all suspicion. He had to be as shocked as everyone else in town upon learning of Rodney McKay's death. He would show his dismay combined with shame at the way they had treated the scientist.

What a terrible accident. Who could have ever predicted… Maybe we've been too hard on him. He could already hear the lamentations. Especially from those who had made the Doctor's life a living hell.

His conscience gnawed at him, but he ignored it. Doctor McKay would have to be sacrificed for the greater good. His greater good.

He cleaned the lenses of his glasses and called in his assistant. When would he finally receive that phone call he was waiting for?

ooooo

There was something wrong with the clocks, Rodney thought. It had to be much later then the time they stated. Five minutes had passed since the last time Rodney had checked the time. It had only been an hour ago since Jinto and he had lunch and it was way too early to start fixing dinner. He wondered briefly if there was some sort of freak time dilation field that caused time to go slower then usual. He snorted. This was real life, not some science fiction series. No, he just had to accept the fact that time passed just as fast as it always did. Maybe if he would stop looking at the clock every five minutes and started concentrating on his projects on his laptop and on Jinto, time would go faster. He wasn't sure it was going to work, but he could at least try it for an hour or so. He was a scientist after all; it would be a good experiment.

He looked at Jinto, who was sitting on the floor and was drawing a very colourful picture. Rodney couldn't tell what it was from where he was sitting, but he was sure the boy would tell him once it was finished. Rodney rechecked some of his calculations on his laptop and wondered if Jinto's reaction when his father told him he was staying away for the day and maybe a night too had been normal. Rodney had expected the boy to be upset, but he didn't seem to mind at all. And Jinto had smiled when his father told him that Rodney would be staying with him the whole time.

After his father left, Jinto had given Rodney the grand tour of the bungalow. Rodney thought this was a good thing for two reasons: it would be something to pass the time and it was also good to know the layout of the bungalow so he could plan escape routes, should it be necessary to leave in a hurry. The tour began in the living room and ended in Jinto's bedroom where he proudly showed Rodney all of his toys and since the toys were out, they had to be played with. That had kept them busy until lunch. After they finished their meal and cleared the plates Jinto started colouring and Rodney had the chance to get some work done. At least that had been the plan, but kept getting distracted by the way time just wouldn't move.

He looked at the phone. Maybe he could call Sheppard and find out how things were going, but then he realised he had no idea what his phone number at the beach house was. The phone was there so he could call others, not that he was going to, and not for others to call him. He hadn't given out his number to anyone, so nobody would be calling him anyway. Rodney wondered if the reason that Sheppard hadn't phoned was because he hadn't memorised his phone number either. He sighed. They really should have planned this thing better.

He saved his work and closed his laptop when Jinto appeared at his elbow with a big glass of apple juice and a challenge to a game of Mario Kart. One game turned into a tournament and then another one and Rodney completely forgot about Jinto's naptime. Jinto conveniently forgot to mention it too. Because he had missed his nap, getting Jinto to bed on time after dinner was easier then Rodney had anticipated. The boy had tried to protest, saying he was a big boy and could stay up late, but he was already half asleep when he brushed his teeth and changed into his pyjama's and he was out like a light as soon as Rodney had tucked him in for the night.

Rodney gave the sleeping boy a kiss on his forehead and went back to the living room. He almost felt sorry that Jinto had to go to bed. At least while they were playing, time seemed to go at a normal pace. Now time was slowing down to snail pace again. In fact, Rodney was sure that if time and a snail would race, then the mollusc would win.

After making himself a cup of coffee, Rodney went back to the living room and tried to get some work done. After staring at the same calculation for 30 minutes he realised he wasn't getting anything done. He closed the laptop and started to wander through the house. The only room he skipped was John's bedroom. Jinto had shown him where it was, but he didn't want to invade the man's privacy by going in. All in all, it was a nice house: roomy and comfortable without being too spacious and cold.

Back in the living room he turned the TV on. He sipped his coffee as he flipped through the channels, but nothing caught his attention for more than a few seconds. There was just nothing interesting on, not that he expected there to be. He put the remote control down and started studying the contents of the room; the books on the shelves, the paintings on the wall, the picture on the side table. Jinto had told him that the woman in the picture was his mother. Rodney walked over to the table and picked up the photograph so he could take a better look at it.

The woman in the picture looked beautiful, elegantly dressed. Her outfit matched her green eyes. She radiated confidence, but Rodney could see something else in her eyes. Sadness? He wondered briefly when the picture had been taken before putting it down and returning to the sofa and settled in for what he thought could be one of the longest night of his life.

ooooo

It was just after sunrise when John snuck back into his own apartment and quietly made his way to his son's bedroom. He stood in the doorway for a while, watching his son sleep. He looked happy and peaceful, like he didn't have a care in the world. He had really missed Jinto while he was at Rodney's place. He contemplated calling home several times: once he had even started dialling before he stopped himself. Even though he really wanted to talk to his son, calling also meant talking to Rodney and that would distract him. And a distraction was something he just couldn't afford. He needed to stay focussed. He hadn't been surprised, but did feel a bit hurt that Rodney hadn't called him either. John had secretively hoped that Rodney would call, even it was just to check up on how things were going, but he probably realised that John needed to stay focussed on the job. And it wasn't like Rodney had another reason for wanting to talk to him.

Jinto turned in his sleep, knocking his Tigger plushy on the floor in the process. John walked over to the bed, picked up the toy and placed it in his sleeping son's arms, smiling as the boy hugged Tigger's soft body. He then adjusted the blankets and after giving his son a belated good night kiss, he made for his bedroom. He really needed to get some sleep.

He stopped when he heard a sound coming from the sofa where Rodney was sleeping. He was murmuring something in his sleep. Unlike Jinto, Rodney didn't look relaxed. Tension radiated of him in waves. He looked like he could jump up and run out the door any second now. Rodney hadn't woken yet, so John crept stealthily into the room and frowned at the man shifting uncomfortably in his sleep on the sofa. He looked exhausted, even in sleep and his limbs were held stiffly and close to his body as if to protect himself.

John felt a wave of sympathy at the thought that the man was so tightly wound, he couldn't even get some rest in his sleep. He grabbed a blanket and carefully covered the sleeping man, making sure not to wake him. He wanted to hold him in his arms again and tell him everything would be all right, but he knew now wasn't the time or the place. He watched Rodney sleep for few more minutes and went to his room and crawled into bed to get some rest for the first time in 24 hours.

ooooo

Rodney woke up to someone softly poking his cheek. His hand came up of its own accord to swipe at whatever it was that woke him it. Whatever it was giggled. He opened his eyes, blinked a few times and saw Jinto standing next to the sofa, still dressed in his pyjamas. Rodney wondered if John looked like that when he was Jinto's age. He concluded he probably did, since Jinto looked so much like his father. He yawned and sat up straight, folding up the blanket and putting it next to him on the sofa. He didn't remember getting the blanket out last night, but he didn't remember falling asleep either.

"Daddy's home," Jinto said happily. "He's sleeping".

"He is? I wonder when he got home."

"Dunno," Jinto said, looking at Rodney. "Do you think I should wake him?"

Rodney stretched and rotated his neck and shoulders, wincing a bit at the popping sounds.

"No," he decided. "We should let him sleep; maybe he came home really early this morning."

"I hope he doesn't stay in bed all day. My other daddy does that a sometimes."

It was the first time Rodney heard Jinto mention him. "Really?" he asked, trying to get Jinto to open up a bit more.

Jinto nodded. "Sometimes he works nights in the hospital and then he sleeps during the day. And then I have to be really quiet, or else he gets mad at me."

"I don't think your dad will stay in bed all day. And he wouldn't be mad if you woke him either."

"Want to watch cartoons?" Jinto said, changing the subject. "It's Saturday. There are always lots of SpongeBob cartoons on Saturday."

"I have a better idea. Why don't we have breakfast first and then we'll watch cartoons."

"Yay!" Jinto yelled and then covered his mouth with his hands. "Daddy's sleeping", he said, startled. "I forgot."

He followed Rodney to the kitchen and climbed on a chair so he could reach the cupboard where the cereal was kept.

"Daddy doesn't want me to stand on chairs, but I do it at home all the time. Mommy sometimes sleeps in and then I get hungry."

He put the Fruit Loops on the kitchen table and then went to fetch the bowls.

"She's going to have a baby," Jinto told Rodney as he put the bowls on the table. "That's probably why she sleeps so much. And sometimes she doesn't feel well."

Rodney nodded and poured the cereal and milk in the bowls.

"My other daddy, his name is Simon, sometimes says it's my fault. That mommy doesn't feel well, because of me. Do you think he could be right, Rodney? Mommy says that everything will be fine when the baby is born, but I'm not sure. Maybe I will make the baby sick too." Jinto looked down nervously and started to stir his Fruit Loops.

Rodney's heart wrenched at the sight in front of him. He wasn't a fan of kids, never had been and made no secret of the fact. But there was something about this child that just brought out the protective instincts in him. He came to stand next to Jinto, and lifted his chin so Jinto could look him in the eye and see he wasn't lying.

"Simon is wrong, Jinto," he told him. "It's not your fault if mommy isn't feeling well. It's just something that happens to woman when they are having a baby. It has nothing to anything you did or didn't do. Your mom told you that, didn't she?"

Jinto nodded.

"And she knows what she's talking about, because she had you and she was fine after that, wasn't she?"

Jinto nodded again and looked up, and Rodney saw hope, but also lingering doubt in his eyes. Rodney didn't know Simon Wallace, but he already hated him for being the one responsible for making Jinto feel this way: the way he had felt when he was Jinto's age. Believing his parents when they told him everything that went wrong was his fault.

"And the baby? What if the baby gets sick?"

"That happens sometimes, but it won't be your fault. And no matter what happens, your mom loves you and so does your dad.

"Simon doesn't love me," Jinto said, like he didn't matter to him. But Rodney knew that it did. He used to pretend that he didn't care that his parents didn't love him, but that never stopped him from hoping that they would. Never stopped him from trying to be the best, so they would notice him and tell him he did well. It never happened though and he learned to live with it. Learned to armour himself against the hurtful remarks that never stopped, but the walls he built to protect himself didn't just keep his parents out, but everybody else as well and that was something he didn't want for Jinto.

"Why do you think Simon doesn't love you?" Rodney asked, making sure to keep the anger he felt towards Jinto's step dad out of his voice.

Jinto was pushing his fruit loops down under the milk and watching them bob back up again, before eating a few bites.

"He says I'm a loudmouth and a… a troublemaker."

"How long has he been living with you?"

"Since I was two. I'm going to be six next month. It's daddy's birthday this week, but I'm not sure how old he is." Jinto smiled. "Maybe we can have a party and cake and then you have to be there too."

Jinto continued eating his cereal, drank a glass of apple juice and seemed to have forgotten their topic of conversation. Rodney hadn't though. It was obvious that Jinto's home life left a lot to be desired. Did his father know? Had Jinto confided in him too? Maybe he should talk to John about it.

ooooo

The rest of that morning was filled with watching cartoons. Jinto had been horrified to learn that Rodney had no idea who SpongeBob was and felt it was his duty to fill the gap in his knowledge by telling him everything he knew about each character on the show. Rodney's mind boggled at the information that was spewed at him. It was the most idiotic thing he had ever heard of. A sponge that lived in a pineapple with a snail that was really a cat. If it had been up to him, they would have gone back to playing Mario Kart. Not that Mario was a much better concept that SpongeBob, but at least the racing was fun and also good for hand-eye-coordination. The only reason he hadn't suggested it was the happy look on Jinto's face as he explained everything to him. So he listened to everything Jinto had to say about the cartoon and wondered briefly if the boy was going to quiz him about it later.

It was around noon that John Sheppard made his appearance, unshaven with red rimmed eyes. He was buttoning up his shirt as he entered the living room.

"Good morning," he said.

Jinto jumped out of the chair, ran to his father and hugged him. "You're staying here today, right daddy?"

"Yes, I'm staying here. Did you miss me?"

"I missed you lots. But it was fun that Rodney was here."

John ruffled his son's hair. "Did you keep him busy playing games?"

"Rodney likes to play games," Jinto said defensively.

John lifted Jinto's chin so he could his son straight in the eyes. "I'm sure he does," he said with a grin. "Otherwise he wouldn't have played them."

Jinto's face lit up. He smiled back at his father, gave him another hug and then jumped on the couch for another SpongeBob episode.

John looked in Rodney's direction. "How would you feel about a cup of coffee?"

Rodney got up immediately. Not only because he could really use a cup of coffee, but also because he realized Sheppard wanted to talk to him and didn't want Jinto to hear what he was about to say. "Coffee? I would love a cup." He got up and followed John to the kitchen.

Rodney drank his coffee quickly and put the cup down on the kitchen table, ready to hear the news. John didn't seem to be in a hurry and sipped his as he leaned against the kitchen counter. The only thing that kept Rodney from pacing was the fact that he had his hands on one of the chairs. That way, if the news was bad, he'd have something to hold on to, although now that he thought about it, maybe he should sit down instead. He started to make a list of pro's and cons of sitting versus standing, but he stopped when he heard John ask him if he wanted to know what had happened the day and night before.

"Of course I want to know."

"Nothing happened. Nothing happened during the day and in the evening. All was quiet until about 3 am when I heard a sound on the verandah..."

Rodney gripped the chair he was standing behind, his knuckles turning white and quickly contemplated sitting down again. Then Sheppard continued.

"I walked to the glass door and waited…"

Rodney blinked a few times as his brain processed what John was saying. "You did what?"

"I walked to the door," he repeated.

"Are you insane? You were supposed to call the police when you heard something and instead you just walked up to the door? The glass door!" Rodney was getting more and more worked up as he spoke. "What were you thinking?! Did you even have a plan, or were you just going to turn on the lights, open the door, rush out and take out the bad guy's with your amazing karate moves?" He had let go of the chair during his rant and was demonstrating some of the moves he'd seen in the movies.

John looked sheepishly at the floor and shuffled his feet a bit. "Well you know they do say. That the best defense is a good offence."

"And I'm sure that would have looked great on your tombstone after you got yourself killed," Rodney said, agitated. He tried to keep his voice down, so that Jinto wouldn't hear it. He probably heard enough fighting at home. A fight here was the last thing he needed.

"Hmm, nice one, but I was thinking more along the line of 'I know some place you haven't been. I've been everywhere.'" John waited a few seconds to see if Rodney would recognize the line, but when it was obvious he didn't he continued. "Anyway it doesn't really matter, because there was nothing to attack. The noise makers were a couple of raccoons. They were scurrying across the patio and sniffing some of the plants. When I turned on the lights and clapped my hands, they took off."

Rodney couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Do you think it was raccoons the first time too?"

"Possibly."

Rodney felt a sense of relief flood him and he let himself fall down on the chair. "Raccoons." He couldn't believe it. All this time there had been nothing for him to fear. He started laughing. "All this time that I've been afraid, it was just raccoons. I ran across the beach in the middle of the night to get away from a bunch of oversized rodents." He took a few breaths to calm himself. "You must think I totally over reacted."

John finished his cup of coffee and put it down on the counter. "If I thought you were over reacting, I would have said so when you showed up that night. Also I wouldn't have offered to stay in your house. It wasn't raccoons who gave you an electric shock. They also didn't remove the nails from your balustrade."

Rodney's relief was so complete that he brushed away John's words of warning. "Do you still think it's all a big sinister plan? I know I used to think that, but…"

"Now you don't?"

Rodney looked up and saw the determined look on his face. And even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer, he still asked: "You do?"

John saw the hope in Rodney's eyes. He wasn't sure anymore. It could have been accidents, but he didn't want to dismiss what had happened either. Not sure how to answer the question, he shrugged.

A shrug wasn't what Rodney had expected and the lack of a real answer bothered him a little, but just when he wanted to tell John to answer the question, Jinto stormed into the room like miniature tornado. He headed straight for Rodney and climbed in his lap.

"Can we go swimming at your house today?"

Before John had a chance to say anything, Rodney answered: "I don't see why not."

ooooo

Rodney enjoyed himself more in the next few days then he ever thought possible. He'd put the little accidents out of his mind and tried not to think about the hostile citizens of Oberoth. The few times he did think about the town that was once his home, he felt a slight setback in his new, happier outlook on life and he told himself it was all the more reason he had to banish that town from his mind completely.

Everything seemed to be going his way. The raccoons hadn't been back after Sheppard scared them away. His research was going well. Jinto came by every day and so did his father, but unlike Jinto and Rodney, John never swam. He seemed content to just watch them.

Still laughing at Jinto's antics, Rodney climbed out of the pool. He moved the long chair so it was in the shade again, reapplied the sun screen and sat down on the chair using his towel as a pillow.

After making himself comfortable on the chair, he looked at Sheppard and smiled at him and after what seemed like an eternity, John smiled back.

"If you want to swim with us, I wouldn't object." he offered.

"Maybe I will sometime."

Rodney stretched and stared at the cloudless sky, feeling more at ease then he had in a long time.

"Daddy, look!" Jinto yelled. "And you have to look too, Rodney!" he added.

They did as they were asked and watched Jinto do a somersault of the diving board. They applauded as Jinto surfaced again. After receiving praise from both his father and Rodney for his amazing dive Jinto was beaming with pride, climbed out of the pool and ran back to the diving board again.

"Where did he learn to swim like that?" Rodney asked. He had been curious about that since he first saw Jinto swim.

"His mother taught him. When Elizabeth was in university she was on the swimming and diving team, and she won several competitions."

Rodney watched Jinto as he jumped in the pool again. "That explains it."

John nodded. "Jinto got his talent from her."

"If he keeps swimming like that, I'm sure that he could be in a swim team too, when he gets older. And speaking of getting older, I understand it's your birthday soon."

He smiled vaguely. "How did you find that out?"

"I'm pretty sure you already know how I found out, so I'm not going to answer that. Jinto wants to buy you a present."

"He doesn't have to do that. Just having him here with me is the best birthday present I could ask for."

"Jinto disagrees. He wants to get you something very special, so I was wondering… would it be okay with if I took him with me so he could buy something for you?"

"Where would you go?"

"That town just beyond the hills. I don't remember what it's called, but I passed through there on my way over here and I remember seeing a few stores. I'm sure Jinto can find something for you in one of them.

"When do you want to go?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"I see that the two of you have this thing all planned out."

Rodney smiled. "Don't blame me. It was all Jinto's idea. He used his puppy dog eyes on me. There is no way I could say no to that."

"No, I guess you couldn't." John watched his son who was now swimming under water, and Rodney saw the love in his eyes… and also a gnawing pain.

"Jinto is a great boy, John. You can be proud of him," he said softly.

"I am proud of him"

"But…" he said, not sure if he should encourage him to continue. Despite John's laid back attitude, he was consumed by emotions. Rodney didn't want to pressure him, but now was the right moment to get a little bit more personal. Besides, he wanted to know if John was aware of Jinto's situation in his mother's and stepfather's house.

"Why do you think there is a but?"

Sheppard tried to keep him at a distance, Rodney realized. "Because there is always a but. All people have flaws and no situation is perfect."

"Are you speaking from personal experience?"

"Who isn't?"

John's eyes narrowed, but he stayed perfectly still until his hand moved to his shirt pocket, looking for something that wasn't there.

"I could really use a cigarette right now."

"When did you quit smoking?"

"Two months ago."

"You quit because of Jinto?"

He nodded.

"There isn't anything you wouldn't do for him, is there?"

"He's my son." John replied, as if that explained everything. And, Rodney realised, to him it did.

Watching John, Rodney realised he had just been given the opening he needed to ask the question that had been on his mind since breakfast that morning. "Did Jinto ever tell you how things are at home?"

That got him John's full attention. "What do you mean?"

"Is he happy there?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because of something he said to me."

Sheppard got up and put his hands in his pockets. "What did he say?"

Rodney waited a while before answering. Maybe he shouldn't continue this and just stay out of it. After all Jinto was John's son, not his, but thinking it through a little longer he realised he had to do this, for Jinto's sake. Because when their roads parted and the Sheppard's wouldn't be a part of his life anymore, he knew he would feel guilty if he hadn't done something to help the boy.

"He said that his stepfather didn't love him. Do you think it's true or is Jinto exaggerating a bit?"

John tensed as he listened to Rodney. "I don't think he's exaggerating."

"So he told you too?"

"Yes."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Do?" Sheppard clenched his fists. It was obvious to Rodney that he was trying very hard to control his anger. "What can I do? I abandoned him. When he was born, all I thought about was my career. I can't come crawling back to Elizabeth now and criticize the way she's raising our son."

"But if he's unhappy…"

"He loves his mother. You did know that, right?'

"I do."

"Then you see my problem."

Rodney looked away from John. He was right. Rodney could see the problem; he just didn't have an answer for it.

John sat down again. In a subdued tone he continued. "I hate what is happening, but I don't know what I can do to change the situation."

"Maybe you could talk to Jinto's stepfather. You could tell him…"

"That would only make the situation worse. Simon Wallis hates my guts."

"Isn't it possible for you to get custody of Jinto or maybe get joint custody?"

"Elizabeth would never agree to that."

"Because she's afraid you might leave the country again on assignment and take Jinto with you?"

John ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Maybe… I… I don't know what I'm going to do yet."

Rodney wished he had the perfect advise to give to John, but he was always bad at stuff like this and just because he really wanted to help didn't mean he would magically turn into someone who knew what the right thing was to say or do. Looking at the man sitting in chair opposite him, he now understood his pain more. But in this case understanding alone wasn't enough.

ooooo

John was only half listening to Jinto's chattering. They were walking along the beach to their house having spent the entire afternoon at Rodney's place. Jinto was high as a kite, full of 'Rodney this' and 'Rodney that', and John just smiled and let the boy chatter on while his thoughts drifted a little. A lot had changed in John's life in the last few months: He had left his job, for the moment anyway, and got his son back. And now he was struggling with emotions he had never dared to deal with before.

Was this what life was like when you finally faced you feelings? One thing was certain: He wanted his son to be happy, like he was now. He knew that if Jinto went back to his mother and stepfather, things would go back to the way they were before and maybe getting worse, because he didn't see the situation improving any time soon. Taking his son away however could create a whole new set of problems.

Part of him wished he could stay here forever, even though he knew he couldn't. Jinto had grown attached to Rodney, loved him even. John wasn't the only one who knew that. Rodney knew it too. And his son was so happy here, but it wasn't permanent. But he also couldn't let him go back to being so unhappy with his mother and Simon. Something had to be done, if only he knew what the right thing was.

John shook his head. He didn't know what to do, and any train of though he followed led him to Rodney. He honestly didn't know what to think of the other man, of what he felt for him. He had an urge to protect him. Rodney needed someone to take care of him, but there was more to it than that. If he had been in this situation a few years ago, there wouldn't have been a problem. He would have just slept with whoever it was and moved on. It had been his standing operating procedure.

'Had been' was right. It wasn't anymore. Not with Rodney. It wasn't because he wasn't attracted to the man, because he definitely was. He wasn't going to do anything about it though. He had made a promise and he was going to stick to it. And maybe if he repeated this often enough he would believe that it was only his promise to keep Jinto from being hurt that kept him away from Rodney. That it had nothing to do with his fear of hurting Rodney in the process as well.

There was just something about the scientist that drew John to him. He was living with a sadness and pain that had little to do with the hostility of a town that had turned on him. John didn't feel he knew Rodney well enough to pry into his past and background and he respected his privacy, but he was so curious to know. McKay would probably find his restraint hard to believe and he couldn't blame him. He'd had some really bad experiences with people who were in the same line of business he was.

They had nearly reached the path that lead to their bungalow. Jinto was skipping ahead of him.

Respect. It was one of the things people didn't seem to care about anymore. Self-interest was the most important thing. Doing whatever was needed to get what they wanted, not caring who got hurt in the process.

His train of thought was interrupted by Jinto who was pulling on his arm.

"Can we have pancakes tonight daddy? Please?"

John smiled at him. Rodney was right: the puppy dog eyes were hard to resist.

"Pancakes it is, if you make it to the house before I do. Ready, set…."

John watched Jinto sprint off before he even said the word go. He grinned. They were having pancakes tonight. The healthy food would just have to wait until tomorrow.

TBC.

I know some place you haven't been. I've been everywhere. Is from the song I've Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash from his album Unchained.


	8. Chapter 7a

AN: I know it's been a while, a long, long while, but this fic is still alive.   
Thanks to shootingsilverstarlight for Beta'ing this chapter and also thanks to you who've read and commented and poked me into continuing to write this story.

And now….

Chapter 7a.

Rodney woke with the smell of coffee filling his bedroom. He inhaled the scent deeply before opening his eyes to look at the time and discovering he still had 10 minutes before the alarm would go. He yawned and stretched, feeling more relaxed then he had in a long time. He got up, walked to the kitchen to have is his first cup of coffee of the day. Taking that first rich sip of the liquid, Rodney reflected that installing the timer on the coffee machine had been one of better ideas.

He walked to the window and looked outside. The sun was up and there was not a cloud in sight. As he watched a few birds fluttering and hopping on the verandah,he went over his plans for the day. He would have a quick shower, then breakfast, work a few hours on his project, have lunch and then go over to Sheppard's house to pick up Jinto for their little shopping trip. Part of him couldn't believe he was actually looking forward to that. If someone had told him six months ago that he would be doing this, he would have laughed in their faces and insulted their intelligence. A lot. Not that anyone would have suggested such a thing in the first place, since everybody knew how he felt about kids. Still did feel that way truth be told, about any kid that wasn't Jinto. He poured himself another cup of coffee and went back to his daily routine.

***  
Rodney parked Sheppard's car in the Main Street of the small fishing village. The drive over had been slow, but uneventful. Jinto spent most of it talking about things he might get his father for a birthday present and pointing out things in that caught his eye in the passing scenery. Rodney listened to everything Jinto had to say and even supplied some of the conversation, but mostly he kept his eyes on the road, especially now that they reached the least favourite part of the trip. This part of the road on was flanked by steep mountains on the right and a big drop into the ocean on the left. The hairpin bends didn't help matters either. Rodney changed gears, wiped his hands on his pants, one at a time, and put them back on the steering wheel of Sheppard's car.

Though, he wasn't sure that car was the right word for a machine that sleek, fast and powerful. The Corvette was nothing like his Volvo, but he hadn't bought his car because it fast and looked good. He bought it because it was safe, dependable and got him from A to B in one piece. Rodney would have preferred to have driven to town in his own car, but then Sheppard pointed out that his car had a booster seat for Jinto and Rodney's car didn't. They could have of course taken it out and installed it in his Volvo, but that seemed like a lot of effort to go through for just such a short trip. After getting out of the Corvette and freeing Jinto from his booster seat, Rodney looked at the many little shops in Main Street and wondered where they should start.

The decision, however, was taken out of his hands however when he felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Look, Rodney, planes!"

Jinto let go of Rodney's arm and ran to a nearby thrift store, where he pressed his face against the window and stared at the model airplanes that were on display. Looking back at Rodney, his eyes alight, he asked "Can we get one for daddy? He loves planes."

"Does he?"

Thinking about it, it made sense. Sheppard had been in the Air Force after all.

"Yep he does," Jinto replied and then scrunched his face in concentration. "He also likes Ferris Wheels, college football and anything that goes over 200 miles per hour."

'That certainly explains the car', Rodney thought. He wasn't sure what the top speed of the Corvette was, but it certainly looked like it could go over 200 miles per hour. He looked through the window at the airplanes in the shop window, admiring the details on the obviously lovingly handmade models. There were no price tags that he could see. In his experience that meant that they were either not for sale or very, very expensive and far beyond Jinto's budget.

"So, can we go in?" Jinto asked.

"Sure, I don't see why not." After all, Rodney reasoned, if they couldn't find anything here they could always go to the next shop.

***

Rodney nodded to the sales person as they entered to store and surveyed his surroundings. It was different from the thrift stores he used to frequent while he was in college. He remembered them as being an unorganised mess. This store, even though it was small was well organised. Fun thing like model trains, ships, cars, books and toys were displayed on the left side of the store and the more practical items were stored on the right hand side. The centre of the store was made up with racks of clothes. Jinto had made a bee-line to the model planes and was now studying them with a big smile on his face. Rodney was so caught up watching Jinto looking at the models that he didn't notice the sales man coming up to them.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked, smiling politely.

Jinto grinned and pointed at the planes. "I want one of those."

"You do?" the man asked, a smile on his face.

"Yep!" Jinto replied happily.

"Well, you have good taste, young man. Those are some mighty fine planes".

Jinto was practically bouncing after the compliment and Rodney hoped that the boy wouldn't be too hurt if he couldn't afford the plane.

"How much are they?" Rodney asked. He reasoned that if the planes were too expensive for Jinto, which was bound to be the case, then maybe he could add some of his own money.

"Well," the man said, kneeling down so he was face to face with Jinto. "They're not cheap. I make them myself and it's hard for me to part with them."

Jinto blinked, the smile fading from his face.

"But," he said "I have lotsa money."

He opened up his backpack, got out his SpongeBob piggybank and carefully emptied the contents on the shelf next to the planes, making sure that none of the money fell on the floor.

Rodney frowned as the man agreed with Jinto. It may have been a lot of money for a five year old, but there couldn't have been more then 20 dollars on the table, most of it in small change.

"Are you sure you want to spend all your money on this?" the man asked.

Jinto nodded, moved closer to the salesperson and whispered.

"It's a birthday present for my daddy."

"Is it now?" the man said as he pulled away from Jinto and gave a speculative look at Rodney.

Jinto nodded. "It is. And I want it to be the bestest present ever."

The man ruffled Jinto's hair.

"Then we should count the money and see if you have enough."

Rodney wondered why they were counting the money while it was obvious that there was no where near enough. The cheapest model kit he saw on the shelves was $20. And that didn't include paint or glue and those models were no where near as sophisticated as the handmade models in the window.

"And one more dime. That makes it?" The man prompted.

"Seventeen dollars and twenty eight cents," Jinto said proudly.

"It sure is," the man said, "and as luck will have it, that is just enough for one of the model planes."

"Really?" Jinto asked in a hushed voice, hardly daring to believing his luck.

"Yep, really. Why don't you pick the one you like best." the salesman said as he got up, wiped the dust off his pants and walked over to Rodney.

"A smart kid you got there."

Rodney wanted to say that Jinto wasn't his, but all he could do was nod in agreement. He was still baffled that the man would sell a model plane to Jinto at that price.

"Why don't you tell me what those models are really worth, so I can pay you the difference." Rodney said, keeping his voice down, so that Jinto wouldn't hear him.

"The price was exactly right," the man replied, "so there is no difference for you to pay."

"How can that be? The materials alone are worth more than what Jinto gave you and you must have spent weeks making these things." Rodney argued.

"Exactly," the man replied. "I made these, and like I told the boy, I normally don't part with them easily. But a kid saving up money to buy his father a birthday present? That's not something that happens every day in this town."

Rodney wanted to argue that that really wasn't the point, but he never got to make it as Jinto let it be known that he had found the perfect plane.

"Which one have you chosen?" the salesman said as he made his way over to Jinto.

"This one, " Jinto said, as he pointed to a model of the only biplane in the window. It was also the brightest one. Where most of the models were grey or camouflage colours this one had bright yellow wings and it even had the letter J painted on the side.

"An excellent choice," the man said as he knelt down again. "Do you know what this type of airplane is called?"

Jinto shook his head.

"It's called a Sopwithcamel."

"Why would they call it a camel?" Jinto asked. "Camels can't fly."

"You're right, they can't. They called it a camel because of this bump right here." he said and pointed to the spot in front of the cockpit. "It reminded them of a camel bump and that's why they called it a camel."

"Cool," Jinto said as he moved closer to study the plane.

"Are you sure you want to trade in all your money for this plane?"

"Yep," Jinto answered and shoved the pile of money in the direction of the salesman.

"Then we have a deal," the man said, picking up the cash. "Why don't you take the plane over to the counter and I will see if I can find some paper to wrap it in?"

As Jinto carefully picked up the plane and carried it away to be wrapped, Rodney walked over to the salesman in a last attempt to get him to accept more money than he was getting for it now, but the salesman focused his attention on Jinto and totally ignored Rodney.

Jinto listened with rapt attention while the salesman explained more about the plane as he wrapped it up. Jinto insisted on helping and Rodney resigned himself to being a while in the store. He let his mind wander as he looked around the store. Perhaps he should get something for Sheppard's birthday too. He normally wouldn't bother with such social niceties, but the man had let Rodney stay in his house for a few days. He wandered over to the book section of the store and glanced through the shelves. His eyes fell upon a leather bound book on aviation history. Picking it up, he inhaled the rich smell of leather and paper that was unique to old books. It was still in excellent condition and even contained blueprints of some historical planes.

"How much for this book?" he asked as he approached the counter.

The salesman looked up briefly from his gift wrapping activities to glance at the book.

"25 dollars", he said.

"Are you sure you're not confusing it with another book? I mean, this is a leather bound, first edition, with blueprints. There it no way it's worth 25 dollars," Rodney argued.

"It's what it's worth to me," the man answered. "Would you like to have this gift wrapped too?"

Rodney nodded and paid the man. He wasn't really sure why he argued about the prices. Normally, if people were too stupid to price things properly, he just went with it, but this time he just couldn't let it slide. Maybe it was because the man was so nice about it. The way the people of Oberoth had been nice to him before they turned on him and chased him out of town. Rodney took a deep breath and pushed that thought away. It was all in the past now and thinking about it wouldn't solve anything.

After both gifts were wrapped they left the store. He looked at the time. Sheppard wouldn't expect them back for at least another hour. That gave them just enough time to sit down and have a bowl of ice cream at the shop across the street. Though Jinto had difficulty eating his icecream since he didn't want to let go of the plane in fear that someone might accidentally knock it off the table.

To Rodney's disgust, he found that endearing.

With the ice cream eaten and the presents bought, it was time to go home again. Rodney strapped Jinto into his car seat, which was harder than it should have been since the boy still refused to let go of the plane. Rodney got in the car and listened to Jinto talk and realised he would miss the boy once he and his father moved on. He doubted they would ever meet again. He pushed the thought down, filed it away with the other things he couldn't do anything about. All he could go was get the most out of the time they had left.

***

The man dry swallowed some Aspirin and checked his watch again. Hopefully McKay would come back out of town soon. Then he could finally get this job over with, get the rest of his money and go to bed to recover. This assignment turned out to be more complicated than expected. It should have been a cake walk; an easy way to get the money he needed to maintain his course, addiction would be a better word for it. It had gotten him fired from his job and had forced him to go freelance.

But, nothing is ever as easy as you think it is.

His grandmother had told him that and she'd been dead right, like she had been right about so many things. Sometimes he wished he had listened to her more. He probably wouldn't be in the mess he was in now. Unfortunately, there was no turning back time and there was nothing he could do now except the job he was paid to do. He doubled over in a coughing fit, but made sure to keep his eyes on the road. There was no way he would fail this time. He went over the plan once more. Once he saw the corvette in the distance, he would start his engine. It was a good thing he'd been tailing McKay or he never would have known about the car switch. The whole thing was timed perfectly. He had even practiced what he was going to say to the police, should it be necessary. How he'd kept to his side of the road, but that the other driver had obviously panicked coming out of the hairpin bend, lost control of the wheel and drove of the cliff. On these dangerous California roads, it wouldn't be the first time an accident like that happened.

***

Rodney looked at Jinto, who had fallen asleep during the ride home. Part of him was glad, since this meant he could keep his attention on the road with the many hairpin bends, cliffs on one side and ravines on the other. Unfortunately, not having Jinto chattering away to distract him also meant that he had time to think up dozens of worst case scenarios and the many, many ways that this trip would end in total disaster. Which, when you thought about it, was the absolute wrong thing to focus on while driving on a road like this.

Fortunately, there it was a quiet stretch of road with hardly any cars coming towards him. So far, there had only been two and they had kept close to the cliffs, giving him plenty of room to pass. Luckily, there were no cars behind him, urging him to go faster. Not that he would have if there had have been. These roads were far too dangerous to be speeding and if someone wanted to kill themselves, they could do so after they had passed him. He wasn't going to be rushed by anyone.

***

He grinned as he saw the car approach. He started the engine and slowly drove out of his 'parking space' and onto the road. Only a few more minutes and this would finally be over.

***

Rodney saw the car come towards him. Despite this being the third car to pass him on this road, he still felt quite nervous. The car looked like an old pick-up truck, bigger than the other cars that had passed him and unlike those cars which had stayed close to the cliffs, this one drove mostly in the middle of the road. He wasn't sure there was enough room on the road for both of them if the truck continued to drive like this and so Rodney kept a close eye on it. This was not good for his blood pressure. Rodney began his climb up the hill, the Corvette handling the incline smoothly and easily. Still, the truck coming down towards him did not move. Rodney felt beads of sweat pop up on his forehead. By now, he was too far up the hill to turn around safely before the truck met them, even if he wanted to. Finally, the truck began to move, but to Rodney's growing horror, it drifted even closer to the centre of the road. Rodney had nowhere to go with the steep ravine on one side and the cliffs on the other. He pressed on the brake, hoping to give the truck more time to right itself and pull over to the correct side of the road, but from where Rodney was sitting, it looked like the truck was speeding up! He was now close enough to see the other driver clearly, and his stomach lurched at the hatred in the young man's eyes. The baseball cap he wore hid most of his features, but the hatred shone clear and through from the cab of the truck.

To Rodney's horror, the other driver smiled.

The young driver pulled sharply on the wheel, sending him in a direct path to ram the Corvette. Rodney realised that all the worst case scenarios he had run through his head on the way up not paled in comparison to the reality of the situation. That truck was going to ram their car, using the momentum to send them over the cliff to their deaths.

Rodney needed to do something and he needed to do it now. Almost without thinking, his foot hit the gas. The car sped up immediately, much faster than his own car would have, and he made himself ease up on the gas a little. Just enough to keep control of the car. It wouldn't do to escape his assaillant only to drive the car in to the ravine himself. A brief look in the rearview mirror showed Rodney that the pick-up had turned and tried to keep up with him, but had difficulty keeping his car on the road.

Rodney stopped looking. They had escaped, for now. But how long could he stay ahead of the other car? Maybe he would manage to pass him and try again, or maybe there was another car waiting further up the road in case the pick-up truck driver failed his mission. There was no way to know for sure and he wouldn't feel safe until he was off this road and far away from the ravines.

"Rodney?"

"Not now Jinto." Rodney said. He needed to focus on the road, on not crashing, on keeping an eye out for any other dangers that could be out on this road, which meant he couldn't reassure Jinto, no matter how much he wanted to.

The boy seemed to understand something serious was going on though as he remained quietly in his seat, clutching the model plane protectatively to his chest.

Finaly they reached the top of the hill. There hadn't been any more cars coming towards him and a brief look in the rearview mirror told him that he had lost the other car. Rodney still didn't feel he could relax though and kept his foot on the gas. Only a few more minutes to go and then they would be home.

TBC


	9. Chapter 7b

AN: Warnings and disclaimers can be found in the prologue.  
Beta: shootingshilverstarlight. Hugs You rock.

Chapter 7b

It was only when they'd reached the road leading up to John's beach house that he started to tremble, losing the tight control he had had over his body while they were in the middle of the chase. They were safe now. He'd made it. They were away from the ravines, off the main road and now they needed to get out of the car.

Rodney hit the breaks a bit harder then he intended and the car slipped off the driveway and came to a stop at a little sand dune. Rodney jumped out of the car, almost before it had even come to a full stop and ran to the other side so he could free Jinto from his seat and lift him from the car. The boy refused to let go of his airplane and held on to it with one hand while he flung the other round Rodney's neck and clung to him. Rodney held on to Jinto as tightly as he could. He ran straight for Sheppard's house. He'd be safe there. The sand made running hard and he nearly twisted his ankle a few times but there was no way he would slow down.

John opened the door as Rodney ran up the stairs. Rodney was only too happy with the timing as he didn't think he was coherent and coordinated enough to open the door while still holding on to Jinto. The smile on John's face faded as he saw the state they were both in. He pulled them both inside and locked the door behind them. He held Jinto close to him, still out of breath from running to the house.

"What happened?" John asked, getting right to the point.

Rodney wanted to answer, but he was still catching his breath and it was hard to hold on to Jinto. Now that the boy was home, he didn't want to be carried any more. Rodney put Jinto down, but kept his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"We... someone tried to run us of the road."

"Where?"

"On the narrow road, next to the cliffs," Rodney answered, his breathing slowly returning to normal. His hands started trembling though and he could feel Jinto shaking.

The events of the day had finally caught up with the small boy and he started to cry. He pulled free from Rodney and ran towards his father. John picked up his crying son and held him close to him, while keeping his eyes focused on Rodney.

Rodney knew that he and John were thinking the same thing and it had him shaking like a leaf.

Jinto turned to watch Rodney and he must have misunderstood the expression on his face, because he held out his hand and pulled Rodney close to him and his father.

Rodney couldn't speak, everything that had happened hitting him full force. None of the other incidents had been accidents. That man had wanted to kill him, not caring that Jinto was in the car with him. It was an irrefutable fact. He had tried to kill them in cold blood by making the car go over the edge. He tried to make it look like an accident, like Rodney had lost control of the car and plunged over the edge.

Rodney felt his throat close up. Because of him, Jinto had almost died.

John put his arm on Rodney's shoulders and the three of them stood close in an embrace until Jinto stopped crying and Rodney pulled away from them.

"Do you think it was deliberate?" John asked.

Rodney nodded.

Any doubt that it had been the latest in a string of random accidents vanished from John's mind at the look in Rodney's eyes. He was lucky that Rodney kept it together enough to get them out of the situation, because the alternative was unthinkable. His car, containing Rodney and Jinto, soaring over the cliff and exploding in a fiery ball at the bottom of the ravine. Just thinking about it made him furious, because he wouldn't have been able to do anything to stop it from happening. He would have been a spectator, an observer, unable to influence the outcome.

That was not the way John operated.

Seeing the anger in John's eyes, Rodney froze. Maybe he though it the near crash was Rodney's fault…

"I would never..." he stammered. "I didn't..."

John frowned.

"I would have never taken Jinto with me if..." Rodney took a deep breath trying to control the emotions running through him.

"I know," John said.

"Everything was fine until we got to the narrow road. Then the big car came towards me. I saw the driver. He... He…"

John frowned.

"I would have never taken Jinto with me if I had known..." Rodney bit on his lip and took a deep breath. He hadn't cried so far and he wasn't going to start now.

"I know that," John repeated, reaching out and put a hand on Rodney's shoulder. He led Rodney over to the couch, and sat down, pulling Rodney with him. Jinto cuddled into his father's shoulder while Rodney got his breathing back under control.

Rodney took a deep breath. The danger was gone. He was safe, Jinto was safe. He looked at the boy and wanted to hug him, and tell him how sorry he was for what had happened. John must have followed his gaze, because he wasn't asking Rodney continue his story.

"What do you have there?" John asked Jinto, pointing at the now partially unwrapped parcel the boy was holding. One of the wings and the tail of the plane were visible and one of the support beams of the wing was broken. When Jinto saw that, he started crying again.

"It's broken!"

"It can easily be fixed," John assured him, feeling grateful that the only damage done was to some material thing. Something that could easily be repaired or replaced.

"But it was for your birthday," Jinto sobbed.

John took the plane from Jinto, unwrapping it the rest of the way and examining it carefully. "It is beautiful," he said and kissed Jinto on top of his head. "Where did you get it?"

Jinto wiped the tears from his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "We got it from a shop in the town. The man in the shop made it himself. He had lots of them, but I picked the best one."

John ruffled Jinto's hair. "You sure did. Do you know where we keep the glue"

Jinto nodded.

"Why don't you go and get it and I'll fix the plane."

Jinto hopped of the couch and went in search of the glue.

Rodney watched him go and wished that he too could go, but he knew he had to stay. The police would have to be called. He wasn't sure what good it would do, but he had to reported. Especially since it wasn't just about him anymore.

"Can I use your phone?"

John nodded and pointed to where the phone was. He watched Rodney as the talked to the police on the phone. He hated that there was nothing he could do. He wished he could take his car and find whoever had tried to kill Rodney and Jinto, but he couldn't leave them alone. And even if there was a place where they would be safe, it still wouldn't make a difference because the psycho had probably already ditched the car and would be long gone by now.

"How you holding up?" John asked after Rodney got of the phone.

"Fine."

"No you're not. No one could go through what you've been through and be fine. You were very lucky."

Rodney nodded, not wanting to look at John.

"How did you manage to get away from that guy?"

Rodney pressed his hands against his forehead. If there was one thing he didn't want to thing or talk about, it was that. Especially since was probably going to have to tell the story all over again once the police arrived. They had passed the on description of the car to police cars patrolling the area, but they wanted more about everything that had happened and would send someone over for a more detailed report. He wasn't looking forward to that. If he had his way, he wouldn't ever have to think about what had happened, and what could have happened, ever again, but he also knew he'd still be thinking about this for a long time to come whether he spoke about it or not. And besides, John deserved to get some answers.

"Everything was fine. We'd just gotten back in the car. Jinto was talking. We were having a surprising good time. We'd passed some cars on the road already, but this one just felt wrong. When the car got closer, I could see what he was planning to do and I hit the gas."

"We're lucky you have such good reflexes."

"Driving a fast car helped too. Speaking of which, you should probably have a mechanic look the car over. I probably did some damage to it when I drove it into the dune."

"Don't worry about it. It's just a car. It can easily be replaced, unlike people."

"I'm sorry, John. The last thing I wanted was for Jinto to get involved in this."

"You didn't believe there was a 'this' in the first place."

"I know, and I should have. I shouldn't have ignored the data. I should have been more observant."

"You were. If you hadn't been , you wouldn't have made it here safely"

"I never should have come here in the first place. It would have been much better if I..."

"Rodney, stop beating yourself up over this. As much as you may want to, you can't turn back time."

"He really wanted to kill us and it wouldn't have bothered him one bit. He was smiling when he came at us."

"Did you recognise his face? Have you seen him before?"

"No, but I would recognise him if I saw him again. I don't think I'll ever forget that face."

"What do you intend to do?"

Rodney sighed. "I have no idea."

"It's probably best if you stay here tonight."

Rodney blinked and looked away. The offer was tempting, because the thought of going back to his place alone after everything that happened scared the crap out of him, but he didn't want to get John involved in his mess any more than he already was.

"Like I haven't caused you enough trouble already."

John walked over to Rodney, who still wasn't looking at him. He grabbed his shoulders and made Rodney look at him.

"I'm only going to say this one more time. This was not your fault. I know you're brilliant, but even you couldn't have anticipated that this would happen. And we don't know what will happen either, but I do know it's safer if we're all together. You might as well agree, because I'm not going to take no for an answer."

Rodney nodded. "I'm going to need some things."

"The police will be here soon, and they'll probably want to take a look at your house too. When we're there, you can take anything you think you might need and bring over here."

"I found it, daddy." Jinto said, as he walked in the room holding a bottle of glue. "Can you fix it with this?"

John walked over to his son, taking the glue from him. "I think this should work."

***

They were walking back to John's bungalow in an uncomfortable silence. Jinto skipped ahead of them, sometimes stopping to look at an interesting shell on the beach. Rodney couldn't think of anything to say to John. He could complain about his suitcase being too heavy to carry and how the sand made it impossible to roll it, but then John would probably offer to carry it for him and he was already carrying one and there was no way Rodney would let him carry both of them.

"So, d'you have any idea what you're going to do now?" John asked, breaking the silence.

Rodney shrugged. "You heard what the police said. They'll be on the lookout for the car, but chances are it was a stolen car and has most likely been disposed of already. And they don't have the man power to watch my house 24/7. They're going to put some extra patrols in the area and do a couple of drive by's, but I'll doubt it will make a big difference."

"I don't think so either."

Rodney straightened his shoulders, as if he was bracing himself, and gathering his courage and said what he'd been thinking about a while now.

"I only know one way to solve this problem, and that is go back to Oberoth."

John was silent for a long time, and when he did speak, what he said came as a surprise to Rodney.

"I think you're doing the right thing."

John's positive words were encouraging. "If I go back to Oberoth, I might find out who's behind this and what their motives are."

"Makes sense. But you can't be expecting a red carpet treatment when you get there."

"Not really."

"What kind of place is Oberoth?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"How far is it from here?"

"About 150 miles from here."

"In what direction?"

"Land inwards, obviously."

John laughed, and Rodney cracked a small smile in return. It was the first time since Rodney and Jinto's brush with death earlier that day since he'd shown any emotion other than anger.

"I didn't think Oberoth was in the middle of the ocean, but where is it? North, South, East? Any combination of the above?"

"North East."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"My house should still be there. Assuming someone hasn't 'accidentally' signed a planning order to turn it into a parking lot."

His answers seemed to satisfy John, but Rodney still didn't know why he wanted to know. He also didn't feel like asking John again and so he stayed silent and listened to the sound of the waves as they made their way over to the other house.

Rodney realised with a pang that he would miss that sound once he left here. He would also miss Jinto and... Rodney stopped himself before he finished the thought. The sooner he stopped thinking about John, the better. John was a good guy, nothing like the backstabbing reporter Rodney had taken him for when they first met, but he had his own problems to deal with and didn't need to deal with Rodney's situation on top of everything else. Besides…

"I'm going with you."

For a moment Rodney wasn't sure he'd heard him correctly. What he'd heard didn't make any sense, and couldn't possibly be right.

"What did you just say?"

"I said I'm going with you."

Rodney shook his head. "No you're not. You're staying right here!"

"But I want to come."

"Not happening!"

John had cut him off, dropped the suitcase he was holding on the beach and poked Rodney in the chest.

"Why not?"

"Because it's got nothing to do with you, so you should stay out of it."

"It has everything to do with me. The guy that has been trying to eliminate you could have gotten my son killed. You do realise that, right?"

"Of course I do." Rodney said. He would never be able to forget that fact for as long as he lived.

"Then it's settled."

"No, it's not! Where would you leave Jinto? You can't take him with you to Oberoth."

"I'll bring him back to his mother. I'm sure he'll understand. Especially when I tell him that he's going back so I can help you.

"Don't even think about it."

"How are you doing to stop me? What kind of a person do you think I am anyway? The kind that will let you go to a possibly dangerous situation alone? Because if that's what you thought, you thought wrong."

"I can handle this myself."

"I know you can, but there's strength in numbers. And with me there you wouldn't have to constantly look over your shoulder, because I'd be there to watch your back."

"You've got a point," Rodney conceded. "But I still don't want to you come. What if something bad happens?"

"I used to be in the Air Force and the countries I've been stationed in as a correspondent haven't been the most peaceful either. I know how to handle myself should anything happen."

"And what about Jinto?"

"First thing in the morning, I'll call Elizabeth."

"That's not what I meant. What will happen to Jinto if something happens to you?"

"Nothing's going to happen to me."

"You don't know that."

"You're right, I don't know that. But you don't know that something will happen in Oberoth either. I could also break my neck while slipping in the shower. I love my son. I would do anything for him, but what kind of father would I be if I was to afraid to do anything to help a friend, just because I was scared I might get hurt? Besides, you're the one they're after, not me."

"That's why you have to stay out of it. What if whoever is after me decides that you're a threat to them?"

"They'd be absolutely right."

***

John knew that Rodney didn't approve of his decision to go with him to Oberoth. He thought that it was a spur of the moment thing and that he hadn't thought things through. But he had. He'd always been good in thinking on his feet and when Rodney mentioned going back, John realised that Rodney would be in an incredible amount of danger simply by returning to Oberoth. John knew about danger. He never went out looking for it, but he'd been in enough life threatening situations that it didn't faze him any more. He could keep his cool and work through it.

But when it was Jinto and Rodney's lives on the line, his hard won cool was in danger of slipping. That was just unacceptable and if there was anything he could do, he would.

Unfortunately that meant taking Jinto back to Elizabeth prematurely. He still had two weeks of vacation time left with his son and even though he would really miss spending those weeks with Jinto, he couldn't let Rodney go back to Oberoth alone. John wanted to be there for Rodney. But not because he thought the other man was a helpless damsel in distress. Far from it in fact. But that didn't stop John from wanting to rescue Rodney just the same.

John picked up the suitcase and started following Rodney to his bungalow. Jinto was walking next to Rodney now and was holding his hand and was showing him the shells he had found on the beach. He looked happy and John wasn't looking forward to telling his son that he would be going back to his mother tomorrow. He was pretty sure however that Jinto would understand if he explained that it was so that he could help Rodney.

He wasn't sure why he felt the way he did about Rodney. He was pretty sure he would do anything for Rodney, just like he would do anything for Jinto. But that was different. Jinto was his son and he loved him. There was no doubt about that. But did he love Rodney? And what, if anything, should he do about it if he did?

John let out a frustrated sigh, things didn't use to be this complicated.

He'd caught up with his son and Rodney and together they walked to his bungalow.

tbc.


	10. Chapter 8

An: Thanks again to shootingsilverstarlight for the beta :)

*************************************************************************

Chapter 8.

When he walked through the hallway, he heard the phone ring. He rushed to the door of his office, but because of his nervousness it took him a while to find the right key and three tries to get the door unlocked. He ran to the phone, hoping he had reached in time when he picked up the receiver.

"It's me," the voice on the other end of the line stated.

The man sat down in his chair, anxiously awaiting the next words. This could be it. He could finally get the news he'd been waiting for all this time.

"It's not done yet."

The man swallowed. This was not what he wanted to hear. Far from it in fact. He felt his hands go clammy and his heart rate speed up. Why didn't anything ever go his way? He wished this situation was dealt with so he could finally get back to life the way it should be and not waiting for the other shoe to drop. He wanted to be able to sleep again at night, and that could only happen with McKay out of the picture.

He couldn't believe his 'assassin' had failed again. After all, how hard could it be to dispose of one chubby physicist? He felt his frustration turn to anger.

"Not yet?" he yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

It stayed silent on the other end of the line and he was about to inquire if the man had become mute as well as incompetent when he got his answer.

"McKay is lucky. He keeps getting away."

"You're letting him get away! And that's not what you're getting paid for."

"Speaking of which, when are you going to pay me? I checked my account and you haven't transferred the money in yet."

"And it's a good thing I haven't. I don't pay for failures."

"There's some guy hanging around McKay."

"So?"

"It makes it harder to stage an accident." Those words were followed by a coughing fit.

The man counted till ten while he waited for things on the other end of the line to quiet down again.

"Maybe you're not up for the job. I'd probably be better of if I found someone else. Someone competent."

"Go ahead. You're free to do what ever you want as long as you pay me."

"For what? You haven't done anything!"

"Expenses."

"I'm not paying you a dime!"

"Maybe you should consider it. I'm sure you wouldn't want this to become public knowledge."

"Are you trying to blackmail me?"

"I…" the man started coughing again. "I want to get more out of this than pneumonia."

The man sat down, pushed his glasses up his nose and considered his options. Would the assassin go to the police? He thought it was unlikely, since that would implicate him too and since he hadn't paid the man yet, anything he said would be circumstantial. No, he concluded. The assassin was probably bluffing and he was going to call him on it.

"You can go to hell for all I care," he said and hung up.

He stared at the phone for a while longer, wondering if he'd made the right decision.

\0/\0/\0/

John put down the phone. That was the last thing he expected to hear. Elizabeth didn't want him to bring Jinto back home now. She had enough problems right now, with her husband and her pregnancy. Elizabeth had even said she was about to call John and ask him if he could keep Jinto with him a few weeks more. Maybe even until after the baby was born. After that life would get back to normal.

John took a deep breath and stared at the wall. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react. Should he feel angry or sad? He tried to explain to Elizabeth that keeping Jinto with him wasn't a good idea because he was headed to a potentially dangerous situation, but she still said no. Part of him wanted to strangle Elizabeth for that answer, but another part of him understood because that was the same excuse he used after Jinto had been born. He had rejected her offer of joint custody because he said his job was too dangerous to be a part-time dad. So he supposed he couldn't blame her for not believing him now.

Part of him understood Elizabeth's reasons for not wanting Jinto to return right now. She explained to him that her pregnancy wasn't going as smooth as the first one. She was feeling tired and agitated. Simon wasn't dealing with the situation well either and having Jinto home would only aggravate matters.

That made John want to go to Elizabeth's house, slam Wallis into a wall to let him know he wasn't pleased with the way Simon had been treating John's son and ex-wife and give him some pointers on how to do a better job. The man wasn't stupid. He was a surgeon after all and John was sure he wouldn't have to explain things more than once.

Tempting as the thought was, it would have to wait. Going now would probably make John feel better, but the added stress it would cause in Elizabeth's life right now couldn't be good for her pregnancy and since John would be leaving for Oberoth there was no way to know how Wallis might react after he left. No, his talk with Wallis would have to wait until after the baby was born and things were back to normal.

Maybe he could talk to Elizabeth about being more involved in Jinto's life then too. He didn't think she would object, but unfortunately that didn't help him with his situation now. John didn't want to leave Jinto where he wasn't wanted, but he couldn't take the boy with him to Oberoth.

Could he?

\0/\0/\0/

Rodney erased the last the last few paragraphs he had typed and started over again, although he wasn't sure how much better it would be this time. After everything that had happened, he couldn't concentrate. And knowing that John was in the other room talking to his ex-wife didn't help matters. The outcome of that conversation would determine whether he would face his former friends alone, or if he would have John with him to help and support him. He knew which option he would prefer, but he didn't want to get his hopes up.

Rodney looked up from his laptop as John walked in the kitchen from the living room, where Jinto was playing a computer game, shut the door and sat down at the kitchen across from him. Rodney shut down is laptop and wondered if he should say something because Sheppard was oddly quiet, but he couldn't think of how to start the conversation.

Just when Rodney decided he couldn't stay silent any longer John put down the pen he was playing with and started talking.

"Elizabeth doesn't want Jinto to come home yet."

Rodney shut down his laptop.

"She says it's not a good time right now, and I believe her."

Rodney blinked. Even though he had said he didn't want John to go to Oberoth with him, part of him had been relieved to have someone at his side as he returned. Since it wasn't meant to be though, it was time to return to plan A.

"Then I'll go back to Oberoth by myself. I'm sure it will be fine." And as an afterthought he added. "I wanted to go by myself anyway."

"No way," John said, shaking his head. "You're not going alone. We're all going."

"What?" There was no way Rodney had heard that correctly. "There is no way we can take Jinto with us."

"Nothing will happen to him."

"There is no way you can guarantee that and you know it."

"I'll look after him. He'll be fine."

"You'll look after him at the same time you're watching my back. Who do you think you are? Superman?"

"Naw, I'd be Batman. He's got the better outfit, better gadgets and a cool car." John drawled, like they were just having a stupid, asinine guy conversation about superheroes instead of a discussion about weather he and Jinto would stay here where it was safe or go with him to Oberoth, where it potentially wasn't.

Not that it was really up for discussion. John had already decided they would go, whether Rodney agreed or not. Rodney knew this and there was nothing he could do to stop them. It was a free country after all. The only thing left to talk about was whether they were going separately or together, and which car they would use if that were the case. Rodney's mind drifted off, thinking that they would probably need to take his because Sheppard's was cool, but a toy car and not big enough for all three of them. Besides, it was still damaged from where he ran it into the sand dune. He snapped himself back into reality when Sheppard coughed.

"I still don't like it," Rodney finally said.

"I know you don't, but everything will work out. You'll see," John said, getting up from the table and walking towards the living room. "We should probably get packing if we want to leave tomorrow."

"You're right." Rodney said, but he stayed where he was and stared at his closed laptop, needing some time to let everything sink in. He was really going to do it, really going back to Oberoth, and he wouldn't be alone. He'd have John with him as he faced the town's people, who probably weren't going to be very happy to see him again. The feeling was entirely mutual though, since he wasn't too keen on seeing them again either. But John was right. He couldn't run for ever. He hoped John was also right about everything working out, because that would mean he could put all this behind him and finally go on with his life.

\0/\0/\0/

Rodney didn't have much packing to do, since most of his things were still in suitcases from when he made the move from his bungalow to Sheppard's. They would leave for Oberoth after breakfast, making a stop in town to drop of the keys to their bungalows and to let the police know they were leaving.

The police informed them that they hadn't found the car yet, or the driver, but they would continue their search and would let him know if there was a new development in the case. To be honest, it was pretty much what Rodney expected, but it didn't exactly make him feel better about taking the long car trip he was about to go on.

There was no reason to think the killer would strike again now. After all, he had tried something different every time and the road to Oberoth was straight and flat, with a lot of other traffic and not really suitable for a sneaky ambush. He would just have to hold on to that thought and try to enjoy the scenery, like Jinto was.

Just like on their trip into town the day before, Jinto was pointing out interesting things and asking questions about them and squealed in delight when he saw a group of rabbits. Rodney found himself relaxing a little until he saw the first sign directing them to Oberoth. Obviously, he knew they were going there, but seeing the name of the town like that made it more real somehow. Like, there was no turning back, even though Rodney knew John would turn the car around if he asked.

They were almost at the city limit now and Rodney started to see familiar buildings, cars and even some people. He wondered how long it would be before the first person recognised him.

Rodney was glad there were no people on the street when they pulled up to his house. He was dreading to see what had happened to it while he was gone and the last thing he needed was them seeing his reaction to their handiwork.

The garden was a mess, plants were pulled from the soil and trampled and the lawn now seemed the place where everybody in town went to walk their dog. The one small fruit tree that was still standing was covered in toilet paper and the front door still had bits of rotten egg and tomato stuck to it. And the windows, the ones that weren't broken anyway, had graffiti on them letting everyone know exactly how they felt about Rodney.

"Well," Rodney said as he got over the initial shock of seeing his house again. "This is where I live." He unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. Before walking into the garden, he paused.

"Someone really did a number on your house." John said as he and Jinto joined Rodney.

"Some of it was done while I was still here, but the windows hadn't been broken yet."

John put a hand on Rodney's arm and squeezed it gently. "Are you sure you want to go in? It's probably worse on the inside."

Rodney nodded and started walking towards the door. He already knew it was going to a mess. Why stop at the outside, when you have an entire interior to trash, especially with him not there anymore? He was probably lucky that the house was still standing.

Rodney inserted the key in the lock, opened the door and took a deep breath before entering his house for the first time in months. Even knowing what he would probably find, he found he still wasn't prepared for the reality of seeing it. The walls had multiple layers of graffiti on them. The paintings and pictures that used to hang on the walls had been thrown on the floor and stepped on, furniture had been toppled and a lot of his books had the pages torn from them and strewn around the rooms.

All the kitchen cabinets had been emptied. The dishes were broken and the floor slippery from the cleaning liquids that had been emptied on it. The curtains were ripped and the window broken.

The rest of the house had received the same treatment as the ground floor. The bedrooms were trashed and so was the bathroom. It was hard to believe he used to live here only a few weeks ago.

By the time they were back in the living room again Rodney was wondering if he'd made a wrong decision by coming back home. He didn't realise he was trembling until he felt Jinto's hand take hold of his.

"What happened here?" he asked innocently. "Was there an explosion?"

Rodney wasn't really sure how to answer that, but fortunately for him he didn't have to.

"There were some people who were mad at Rodney and that's why they did this to his house when he left."

Jinto looked at his at the mess in the living room, Rodney and then his father. "Those were not nice people."

"No," John agreed. "They weren't."

John looked at Rodney. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes looked moist. He looked defeated and John hated that there were people out there who could do this to Rodney. Right at that moment there was nothing he would rather do than give them a dose of their own medicine.

Instead of giving in to his anger, he moved closer to Rodney and put and arm around his shoulder. Rodney didn't push him away, but leaned in to him, like he needed the support to hold it together.

To John, it felt like something snapped into place. This was right, the way it should be. He knew how Rodney was feeling. That even though he even though he might not be up to facing everything that happened here, he still would.

"Do you see why I had to leave now?" Rodney asked, looking up at John.

John did see and he was glad Rodney had left before things had gotten so out of hand.

"From what I can tell none of the damage is recent," John said, trying for optimism. "Maybe things have calmed down a little."

Rodney shrugged.

"Does Oberoth have a hotel? Because I don't think we'll be staying here any time soon."

"Not without an extreme makeover," Rodney said, straitening his shoulders. He had to make sure this wasn't going to let this overwhelm him even though a small part of him wanted to run out the door and never come back.

The rest of him refused to stay down and disappear like a thief in the night. They'd already chased him out of town once: they wouldn't succeed again.

"There's a motel. It's not very big though."

"All we need are two rooms."

\0/\0/\0/

Rodney waited in the car with Jinto while John went to the reception to register for their rooms. There were no other people in the parking lot and Rodney hoped they could get checked in before he ran in to someone he knew.

"Done," John said, holding two sets of keys. "We've got rooms 103 and 104."

"What name did you register under?"

"Sheppard family. I got us adjoining rooms, since they didn't have a family room."

Rodney nodded and started moving the luggage from the car to their rooms.

John got Jinto out of the car and the boy started to bounce when he saw the pool.

"Can I go swimming?"

"Not right now. Maybe tomorrow. We've got unpacking to do first."

\0/\0/\0/

The rooms seemed to be stuck in a time warp, but at least they were clean. The mattresses were of good quality, and bouncy enough for Jinto to use as a trampoline, and there was a free wi-fi connection. Rodney had moved his suitcases to the room with the king sized bed and John and Jinto used the room with the two queen sized beds.

Rodney stood in the doorway that connected the two rooms.

"What should we do now? Do you have any idea?"

John had just finished unpacking the last suitcase and put it on the floor.

"What we need to do is show the people of Oberoth that you're back."

Rodney swallowed.

"I know this is hard for you." John said, seeing the way Rodney reacted to his suggestion. "But the trip here is kind of pointless otherwise. If we don't go out, we'll never find who we're looking for."

"So how do we find him?"

"That's the hard part, since we don't know who it is. At least, not yet."

"So in the mean time?"

"We act normal."

"I'm not sure I know what normal is anymore."

"We'll start by cleaning up the mess in you're house. Who ever is responsible, will slip up sooner or later."

\0/\0/\0/

They walked passed the supermarket isles. Rodney held his head up high. Everybody was looking at them. Looking at _him_ and he could tell they were surprised to see him. Their trolley was filled with cleaning products and some snacks, because cleaning makes a person hungry and they did have Rodney's hypoglycemia to consider.

As they neared the cash register, Jinto spotted a gumball machine and John gave his son some small change so he could get some.

The supermarket owner, who Rodney had seen as they entered the store, was now standing like a sentry next to the cash register. He had his meaty arms folded across his chest and a determined look on his face.

"You're money is invalid here, Mr. McKay."

Rodney started to move their items on the conveyor belt.

"That's Doctor McKay to you and my American dollars are a legal method of payment."

"I don't care if you had gold in your wallet. It still wouldn't make a difference. I don't want your kind in my store."

"You would be smart to change your position on this," John said, getting into the store owners personal space.

"I am not obligated to serve customers that I don't care for. And I don't want to serve him." He paused for a moment and looked down his nose at John. "And who the hell are you anyway?"

"His lawyer."

Those two little words seemed to work miracles, just like John knew they would. The owner started backpedaling, his face turning bright red.

"That doesn't mean that I.... This is America, damned!"

The man nodded at the cashier, who started to scan the articles.

Jinto returned with a few gumballs, offering one to Rodney and John.

Rodney paid for their supplies and John picked up Jinto, while taking note of the people who were in the supermarket. He overheard some of their hushed conversations. They were not happy with the fact that Rodney couldn't be stopped from shopping in the store.

"We'd like the receipt, please," John said, holding out his hand. Taking the bit of paper John followed Rodney out the store.

The whispered conversations grew in volume as they approached the exit and by the time they walked out things were quit loud.

\0/\0/\0/

"You lied to him," Rodney whispered, not wanting Jinto to hear. They were in the car on their way back to Rodney's house.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Yes, but..."

"In my profession, lies will often get you further than the truth. In some situations, people respond well to what they want to hear and in other situations they respond well to what they don't want to hear. I've discovered a lot by tweaking the truth a little."

"I guess, but...."

"Lying to people isn't a hobby of mine. It would be great if the world was a perfect place and that there weren't people in it exploiting others just for their own personal gain. But there are and the only way to expose them is get down to their level."

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"Sometimes it does, but just now, in the supermarket, not at all. Not only was it the fastest way to deal, he also got what was coming to him." John paused. "Unless of course you'd rather I punched him?"

Rodney smiled. "Maybe."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time."

"I'm not bailing you out if you though."

\0/\0/\0/

They started the clean up in the kitchen. At first, it looked like the room might never be clean again, but after a few hours they could definitely see the improvement. It almost looked presentable if you ignored the cracked tiles on the floor and the graffiti on the walls.

"I don't think we can get the graffiti off this way," John said. He had tried several of the cleaning products, but none of them had worked. "It's probably best if we just paint over it."

"You're probably right. If we keep going at this pace the house will be cleaned and ready to be painted next week." If nothing happens while we're here, that is.

"I'm hungry," John announced. "Who else is hungry?"

"Me!" Jinto said. "What's for dinner?"

"Here? Not so much. Even if we had food and I trusted that the stove was still working and no one had tampered with it, we still wouldn't have plates to eat the food off. And I'm not eating food directly from the can, because..."

"I guess we're going out to dinner then." John interrupted him. "Oberoth's got a restaurant, doesn't it?"

"Yes, but..."

"If you're worried if they'll serve us or not, don't be. Because trust me, they will."

"Not dressed like this they won't."

"You're probably right. How about this: Jinto and I will board up the window in the living room. You finish up here and then we'll go back to the motel and change into clean clothes."

"Sounds like a plan."

\0/\0/\0/

While John was hammering the last few nails into the hardboard, Jinto was playing with his shoelaces, untying and tying them.

"Daddy," he asked after a while. "Why did that man not want Rodney in his shop?"

John put down his hammer and looked at his son. "Why do you think?"

"Because he is one of the people that doesn't like Rodney?"

John nodded.

Jinto frowned. "But Rodney is really nice. Why don't they like him?"

"Because he was involved in something that the people in town weren't happy with."

"What kind of thing?"

"Do you know what a trial is?"

"Like they have on TV?"

"Yes, like on TV." John said, making a mental note to ask Elizabeth what kind of TV programmes she let Jinto watch. "Rodney had to say something about a few people that lived in this town. About things they did. And because of that a few men were put in jail."

"Were they bad men?" Jinto asked.

"In a way they were."

"And Rodney told the truth?"

"He did."

"Then he did right. Mama says you should always tell the truth."

"And she's right, you should."

"But, you told that man a lie."

John sighed. He had hoped Jinto had been too preoccupied with the gumballs to hear that particular conversation. Crouching down in front of his son he said, "Jinto, look at me."

The boy did.

"You're right, I did, but it was for Rodney. Remember how I told you we have to help him a little?"

Jinto nodded. "Yes."

John ran his fingers through his hair. He wasn't really sure how he could explain to his son that the truth was important even though he sometimes told a lie.

"That man was very mean to Rodney and I couldn't let that happen. That's why I tried to scare him by telling him he would get in trouble if he wasn't nicer to Rodney. Do you understand that?"

"I guess."

John rubbed his neck. Being a father definitely wasn't easy.

Jinto looked at him with his big, innocent eyes. "Is it like saying to someone that you like something, even though you don't like it, but you say it anyway, because it's what they have and you don't want to be unfriendly?"

It wasn't exactly the same, John thought, but it wasn't really wrong either and it wasn't like was going to come up with a better way to explain it.

"Yeah buddy, it's like that."

Jinto smiled and his whole face lit up. "Then it's okay. Mama says that that's not a real lie. It's a white lie and they don't count."

Rodney entered the room, drying his hands on a paper towel.

Jinto jumped up. "Rodney, Daddy didn't tell a real lie. It was a white lie and they don't count."

John looked at Rodney and shrugged.

Jinto ran over to Rodney and hugged his legs. Rodney picked him up, but kept looking at John.

"It's what his mother told him," John explained.

\0/\0/\0/

Walking in like he owned the place, the man entered City Hall. He knew where he was going, because he had been here before. He ignored the people telling him that he should report at the reception first and that he shouldn't be here without an appointment. When he reached his destination, a secretary tried to stop him by telling him her boss was out to lunch, but he pushed her aside and entered the office.

The man, his former employer, was startled when he saw who it was that had entered his office unannounced. His face went from its usual pallor to pale, pale white. His eyes searched the table for something like a panic button, but then he seemed to compose himself. He took a deep breath, adjusted his glasses and went on the offensive.

"Just who do you think you are? You don't have the right to come in here."

"I want my money!"

"Close the door."

"Why don't you close it yourself?"

He pushed his chair back, walked around the desk to the door and after reassuring his secretary all was well, calmly closed the door, even though what he really wanted was to slam it shut.

"Let's get down to business," he hissed. "What are you here for?"

"I want my money," the man repeated.

"Like I explained to you earlier, I don't pay for failures."

"You didn't explain anything. You just hung up!"

"And what, Mr. Ford? That bruised your little ego?"

The athletic man didn't hesitate. It only took him two steps to reach his target and have him pressed against the wall. "You give me what you owe me or I'll tell everyone what you did."

"I didn't do anything, because you failed to do your job."

"You hired me!"

"And if you think anyone will believe you over me, you're sadly mistaken."

The man frowned. He realised his 'victim' was right. Nobody would believe him without proof, which he could have had if he'd recorded this conversation. He was making mistake after mistake in this case. His grandmother used to tell him that he was a smart boy, if only he used his brain. Well, he definitely wasn't using it now. He should have gotten some money up front. He should have gotten some insurance to make sure that he wouldn't get cheated out of his money. This failure wouldn't be good for his reputation and he would probably be stuck with this cough for ever.

That damned cough. What he needed was a vacation on a tropical island. Somewhere far away from troubles of every day life. He was sure things would get much better once his cough disappeared and he could sleep through the night again. But to get to his tropical paradise, he needed money. He adjusted his forearm and pressed it against the man's throat. Let's see how he likes it, not being able to breathe properly, he thought.

A soft knock on the door derailed his train of thought. He hoped that who ever it was would go away. He wanted this settled now, since he wasn't sure he would get another chance like this.

There was another knock on the door. "Mr. Zelenka?" a voice on the other side of the door asked.

Damn, Ford thought. Looked like he had to finish it some other time after all. He took the pressure of Zelenka's neck and stepped back.

His assistant. Never in his life had Radek Zelenka been happier to hear his voice. He swore that from now on he would be nicer to the man and would never yell at him again for being an idiot.

"Yes," he answered, rubbing his throat. "What is it?"

The door opened and Radek Zelenka stepped away from the wall. He adjusted his tie and glasses and finger-combed his hair and trying not to think about the fact that Aiden Ford could have easily killed him.

Peter Kavanagh walked into the office. His bespectacled eyes moving from his boss, to the man standing next to him and back to his boss again. "I'm sorry to bother you," he said in a nasal voice. "I didn't know you had company."

"He was just leaving." Zelenka replied.

"Just remember what I said. If I don't get my money by the end of the week, I'm calling the newspapers!" He stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut on his way out.

Damn that Ford. Kavanagh may not have seen him pressed against the wall, but the threat on the way out had been clear and it would be hard to spin it so it appeared that he was in control of the situation, not Ford.

Given time though he was sure he could do it. But first things first.

"Kavanagh, what can I do for you?"

Peter Kavanagh was gloating. The boss was in trouble. It couldn't happen to a nicer man, as far as he was concerned. He kinda wished he hadn't interrupted the meeting. If he hadn't, maybe Zelenka would have had a black eye now. The other man had seemed angry though and not the type to let things slide, so might still happen. Smiling at the thought he returned his attention to why he came to the office.

"I needed your input on some of these figures."

TBC.


End file.
